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Radon Levels in Cherry County, Nebraska

EPA puts Cherry County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 27 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    10.0%

    34.5 pts below NE

    Cherry
    10.0%
    Nebraska
    44.5%

    60 tests, 2018

  • Median result

    1.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Cherry
    1.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2018

  • Tests reported

    60

    64th of 73 by tests

    Cherry
    60
    Lancaster
    17,193

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2018

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 3

    Lower potential

    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. Zone 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Nebraska

    73 of 73

    Lowest quarter

    Cherry
    10.0%
    Colfax
    74.1%

    By share, of 73 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Cherry County

Starts at Cherry County's median, 1.1 pCi/L

1.1pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 1.1 pCi/L

Below 2 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Cherry County's median reported result, 2018.

Interpret this reading

The data

Cherry County, At a glance

Cherry County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential

is EPA's lowest class, and its forecast for Cherry County as a whole is an average indoor of less than 2 pCi/L (less than 75 Bq/m³). A low zone clears no address in it: homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: Low across 98% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Cherry County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Cherry County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Cherry County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201442.9%
20150.0%
201642.9%
201715.4%
201810.0%
201950.0%
202027.3%
202112.5%
202228.6%
20233.7%

2023: 3.7%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 50.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 27 tests were reported to CDC for Cherry 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).

How to read these figures

Cherry County, Compared

Cherry County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Cherry County reports fewer high tests than Nebraska overall. 10.0% of its 60 tests in 2018 were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 34.5 points below the 44.5% pooled from 85 Nebraska counties.

The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 27 tests (3.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 60-test figure.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 73rd of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 29.1%; Cherry County sits 19.1 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 20.0% in Hooker County to 50.0% in Sheridan County. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 10.0% share point the same way here.

Half the tests came in under 1.1 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 4.4 pCi/L. The rest split 70.0% under 2 pCi/L and 20.0% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 30.7% and 24.8%). Year by year, 2016 opened at 42.9% and 2020 closed at 27.3% (down 15.6 points), with 2016 the high at 42.9%.

The busiest year on file was 2018, with 60 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 7.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Cherry County against Nebraska2016 to 2020, years with 30 or more tests: Cherry County 42.9% to 27.3%, the state's pooled share 42.2% in 2020.
Cherry CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Cherry County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsCherry County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
20164242.9%47.4%
20173915.4%47.7%
20186010.0%44.5%
20203327.3%42.2%
Cherry County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2018
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Cherry County
Cherry County6010.0%1.1 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled85 counties, pooled62,67644.5%Not pooled+34.5 points
United States, pooled773 counties, pooled389,55129.1%Not pooled+19.1 points
Colfax Countyhighest in the state8174.1%8.3 pCi/L+64.1 points
Dawson Countylowest in the state49815.1%1.6 pCi/L+5.1 points
Sheridan County, NEborders it4250.0%3.9 pCi/L+40.0 points
Brown County, NEborders it5444.4%3.8 pCi/L+34.4 points
Hooker County, NEborders it3020.0%1.3 pCi/L+10.0 points
Grant County, NEborders it120.0%1.4 pCi/L−10.0 points
Where Cherry County's reported results fell, 2018, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultCherry County testsCherry County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L4270.0%30.7%48.3%+39.3 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1220.0%24.8%22.6%−4.8 points
4 pCi/L and above610.0%44.5%29.1%−34.5 points
Cherry County ranked among the 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2018
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Box Butte County63 of 7348335.4%3.3 pCi/L
Cheyenne County64 of 7333033.6%3.1 pCi/L
Merrick County65 of 739933.3%2.8 pCi/L
Lancaster County66 of 7317,19331.5%1.9 pCi/L
Chase County67 of 734831.3%3.2 pCi/L
Hall County68 of 731,08628.5%2.6 pCi/L
Keith County69 of 738125.9%2.7 pCi/L
Hooker County70 of 733020.0%1.3 pCi/L
Lincoln County71 of 7360016.0%2.2 pCi/L
Dawson County72 of 7349815.1%1.6 pCi/L
Cherry County73 of 736010.0%1.1 pCi/L
Cherry County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
2023273.7%0.8 pCi/L4.2 pCi/L38.2%−24.9 points
2022728.6%3.1 pCi/L5.3 pCi/L34.0%+16.1 points
20212412.5%1.1 pCi/L4.3 pCi/L34.9%−14.8 points
20203327.3%2.4 pCi/L11.5 pCi/L42.2%−22.7 points
20191250.0%4.3 pCi/L6.1 pCi/L44.3%+40.0 points
20186010.0%1.1 pCi/L4.4 pCi/L44.5%−5.4 points
20173915.4%1.5 pCi/L4.8 pCi/L47.7%−27.5 points
20164242.9%3.6 pCi/L4.9 pCi/L47.4%+42.9 points
2015180.0%1.1 pCi/L1.4 pCi/L53.3%−42.9 points
20142142.9%3.3 pCi/L6.0 pCi/L50.5%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Cherry County, Geology

The ground under Cherry County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Cherry County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 98.5% of its land is low radon potential, with 1.5% moderate. 98.2% of it lies in the area the map calls Sand Hills, to which USGS gives a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8).

USGS's geologic areas under Cherry County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Sand HillsQuaternary windblown sand.Low898.2%
Pierre ShaleCretaceous marine shaleModerate111.5%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Cherry County beside the ground around it

Across Nebraska 40.9% of the land is rated high; none of Cherry County's is. Of the 11 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Keya Paha County the most at 7.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Cherry County, the 11 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Cherry CountyZone 398.5%1.5%None
Hooker CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Todd County, SDZone 232.8%67.2%None
Bennett County, SDZone 219.5%80.5%None
Thomas CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Grant CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Brown CountyZone 376.7%23.3%None
Sheridan CountyZone 268.0%31.7%0.3%
Keya Paha CountyZone 2None92.2%7.8%
Blaine CountyZone 399.2%0.8%None
Tripp County, SDZone 2None94.0%6.0%
Oglala Lakota County, SDZone 21.9%98.1%None
Nebraska93 counties, pooled by land areaVaries28.2%30.9%40.9%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Cherry County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Cherry County

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

Cherry County, Questions

Questions about radon in Cherry County

Are radon levels high in Cherry County?

In 2023, 3.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cherry County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.8 pCi/L. Of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 72 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 44.5%.

Which counties border Cherry County?

Cherry County borders 11 counties: Hooker County, NE, Todd County, SD, Bennett County, SD, Thomas County, NE, Grant County, NE, Brown County, NE, Sheridan County, NE, Keya Paha County, NE, Blaine County, NE, Tripp County, SD and Oglala Lakota County, SD.

Products

Cherry County, Products

Testing a home in Cherry County

In Cherry County, 10.0% of 60 tests reported to CDC in 2018 reached 4 pCi/L, against 44.5% 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 Cherry County.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Cherry County homes, compared

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Cherry County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Cherry County

Calculated by Radon411

Cherry County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Cherry County

The Census Bureau estimates 5,561 residents in Cherry County for July 1, 2025, 104 more than in 2020 (+1.9%). Spread over its land, that is 0.9 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Valentine, has 2,635 residents, 47.4% of the total. Together its 7 incorporated places hold 55.9% of those residents; the other 44.1% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 60 tests over 2018, or 10.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Nebraska as a whole comes to 31.1.

From Valentine to Nenzel, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cherry County's.

The cities and towns in Cherry County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Valentine2,635+0.2%47.4%
Cody171+3.0%3.1%
Merriman91+4.6%1.6%
Crookston75+5.6%1.3%
Kilgore68+3.0%1.2%
Wood Lake50+2.0%0.9%
Nenzel18Level0.3%

7 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).

Cherry County, Homes

Homes in Cherry County

Cherry County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 3,004 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. Half of its homes were built before 1969, close to Nebraska's 1975: 39% date from before 1960 and 15% from 2000 or later. 62% 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 in Cherry County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesCherry CountyNebraska
Housing units3,004855,631
Detached houses80%72%
In buildings of 5 or more6%17%
Mobile homes8%3%
Built before 196039%32%
Built since 200015%22%
Middle year built19691975
Owner-occupied62%67%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.