Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Brown County, Nebraska
EPA puts Brown County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
38.1%
12.4 pts below NE
- Brown
- 38.1%
- Nebraska
- 50.5%
63 tests, 2014
Median result
3.7pCi/L
Below action level
- Brown
- 3.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2014
Tests reported
63
57th of 69 by tests
- Brown
- 63
- Douglas
- 18,288
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2014
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Nebraska
59 of 69
Lowest quarter
- Brown
- 38.1%
- Clay
- 81.6%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Brown County
Starts at Brown County's median, 3.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.7 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Brown County's median reported result, 2014.
The data
Brown County, At a glance
Brown County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 77% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Brown County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 38.1% |
| 2015 | 43.8% |
| 2016 | 35.0% |
| 2017 | 35.3% |
| 2018 | 44.4% |
| 2019 | 20.0% |
| 2020 | 33.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0% |
2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 44.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Brown County over 2023, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Brown County, Compared
Brown County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Brown County, about 4 in 10 reported tests in 2014 (24 of 63) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 34.9%, the gap is 3.2 points higher. Across 85 Nebraska counties pooled together, 50.5% of tests reached that level, so Brown County runs 12.4 points below its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 63-test figure.
By share, Brown County is 59th of 69 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 38.1% and 2018 closed at 44.4% (up 6.3 points), with 2018 the high at 44.4%. Half the tests came in under 3.7 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 6.8 pCi/L. Below the action level, 24 tests (38.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 23.6% statewide, and 15 tests (23.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 25.8% statewide.
The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 3 label for Brown County (predicted average under 2 pCi/L): 38.1% of them reached 4 pCi/L, more than a low-potential zone suggests. USGS geology rates 77% of the county's land low radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 63 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 1.
Brown CountyNebraska, pooled
| Year | Tests | Brown County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 63 | 38.1% | 50.5% |
| 2015 | 48 | 43.8% | 53.3% |
| 2016 | 60 | 35.0% | 47.4% |
| 2017 | 51 | 35.3% | 47.7% |
| 2018 | 54 | 44.4% | 44.5% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Brown County, Geology
The ground under Brown County
PredictedMost of the ground under Brown County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 76.7% of its land is low radon potential, with 23.3% moderate. The map puts 76.7% of Brown County in the area it calls Sand Hills and 23.3% in Pierre Shale. USGS gives the first a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Hills | Quaternary windblown sand. | Low | 8 | 76.7% |
| Pierre Shale | Cretaceous marine shale | Moderate | 11 | 23.3% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Brown County beside the ground around it
Across Nebraska 40.9% of the land is rated high; none of Brown County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Keya Paha County the most at 7.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Brown County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Brown County
- Office of Environmental Health Hazards & Indoor AirOffice of Environmental Health Hazards & Indoor Air, run by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, licenses or certifies radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Nebraska.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Some local programs distribute radon kits for free or a reduced cost.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Nebraska116 professionals are listed in Nebraska.
What Nebraska's program says
- Phone
- (402) 471-1005
- Licensing of radon professionals
If radon testing is done in schools, offices, or other places of work, it must be done by a licensed radon measurement business.
What it means
Brown County, Questions
Questions about radon in Brown County
Are radon levels high in Brown County?
In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Brown County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.7 pCi/L. Of 69 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 58 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 50.5%.
Which counties border Brown County?
Brown County borders 5 counties: Rock County, Keya Paha County, Blaine County, Loup County and Cherry County.
Products
Brown County, Products
Testing a home in Brown County
In Brown County, 38.1% of 63 tests reported to CDC in 2014 reached 4 pCi/L, against 50.5% pooled across Nebraska. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Brown County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL416 long-term radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorKidde
Radon Detector (RAB) battery digital radon detector with an alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 12 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Brown County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Brown County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Cherry CountyEPA zone 3
42.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.3 pCi/L · 21 tests · 4.8 points above Brown County
- Radon levels in Rock CountyEPA zone 3
33.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 9 tests · 4.8 points below Brown County
- Radon levels in Keya Paha CountyEPA zone 2
20.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.6 pCi/L · 15 tests · 18.1 points below Brown County
- Radon levels in Loup CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 3 tests · 38.1 points below Brown County
- Radon levels in Blaine CountyEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2014; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Brown County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Brown County
About 2,826 people live in Brown County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 76 fewer than in 2020 (−2.6%). Spread over its land, that is 2.3 people to the square mile. Ainsworth alone is home to 1,585 of them, 56.1% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 67.9% of those residents; the other 32.1% live outside any of them. CDC's 63 reported tests for 2014 work out to 22.3 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 28.0.
From Ainsworth to Johnstown, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Brown County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ainsworth | 1,585 | −2.2% | 56.1% |
| Long Pine | 291 | −3.6% | 10.3% |
| Johnstown | 44 | −2.2% | 1.6% |
3 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).
Brown County, Homes
Homes in Brown County
Brown County is a place of houses on their own lots: 82% of its 1,645 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1962 (1975 for Nebraska), and 48% date from before 1960. 74% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Nebraska: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Brown County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,645 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 82% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 7% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 48% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 4% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1962 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.