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Radon Levels in Franklin County, Nebraska

EPA puts Franklin County in Zone 1, its highest 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    76.2%

    28.8 pts above NE

    Franklin
    76.2%
    Nebraska
    47.4%

    126 tests, 2016

  • Median result

    7.8pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Franklin
    7.8 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2016

  • Tests reported

    126

    46th of 71 by tests

    Franklin
    126
    Douglas
    20,817

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2016

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Nebraska

    3 of 71

    Top quarter

    Franklin
    76.2%
    Dixon
    85.5%

    By share, of 71 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Franklin County

Starts at Franklin County's median, 7.8 pCi/L

7.8pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 7.8 pCi/L

At or above 4 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 at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Franklin County's median reported result, 2016.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Franklin County, At a glance

Franklin County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Franklin County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Franklin County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Franklin County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Franklin County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201479.4%
201568.3%
201676.2%
201750.0%
201852.9%
201965.6%
202060.0%
202175.0%
202250.0%
20230.0%

2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 79.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Franklin 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

Franklin County, Compared

Franklin County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 76.2% of the 126 radon tests reported to CDC for Franklin County in 2016 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 3rd of 71 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 28.8 points above the 47.4% pooled from 89 Nebraska counties.

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 126-test figure.

The median result, 7.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 21.2 pCi/L. The rest split 4.8% under 2 pCi/L and 19.0% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 24.9% and 27.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 76.2% share point the same way here.

No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Webster County at 73.5%, the lowest Phelps County at 46.8%. Statewide for the same period, Dixon County reported the highest share (85.5%) and Sheridan County the lowest (20.0%).

The busiest year on file was 2016, with 126 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 1.

Over 7 years of annual figures the share fell 19.4 points, from 79.4% in 2014 to 60.0% in 2020; its peak was 79.4% in 2014. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 31.2%; Franklin County sits 45.0 points above it.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Franklin County against Nebraska2014 to 2020, years with 30 or more tests: Franklin County 79.4% to 60.0%, the state's pooled share 42.2% in 2020.
Franklin CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Franklin County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsFranklin County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
201410279.4%50.5%
201512368.3%53.3%
201612676.2%47.4%
20176650.0%47.7%
201810252.9%44.5%
20199665.6%44.3%
20204560.0%42.2%
Franklin County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2016
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Franklin County
Franklin County12676.2%7.8 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled89 counties, pooled67,49147.4%Not pooled−28.8 points
United States, pooled886 counties, pooled398,20731.2%Not pooled−45.0 points
Dixon Countyhighest in the state20785.5%7.1 pCi/L+9.3 points
Sheridan Countylowest in the state4520.0%2.3 pCi/L−56.2 points
Smith County, KSborders it887.5%6.3 pCi/L+11.3 points
Webster County, NEborders it10273.5%7.5 pCi/L−2.7 points
Phillips County, KSborders it666.7%7.2 pCi/L−9.5 points
Harlan County, NEborders it8166.7%5.6 pCi/L−9.5 points
Kearney County, NEborders it17465.5%4.8 pCi/L−10.7 points
Adams County, NEborders it1,07754.3%4.3 pCi/L−21.9 points
Phelps County, NEborders it33346.8%3.9 pCi/L−29.4 points
Where Franklin County's reported results fell, 2016, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultFranklin County testsFranklin County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L64.8%24.9%44.8%−20.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L2419.0%27.7%24.0%−8.7 points
4 pCi/L and above9676.2%47.4%31.2%+28.8 points
Franklin County ranked among the 71 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2016
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Dixon County1 of 7120785.5%7.1 pCi/L
Clay County2 of 7114779.6%7.9 pCi/L
Franklin County3 of 7112676.2%7.8 pCi/L
Gosper County4 of 719675.0%6.2 pCi/L
Cedar County5 of 7144174.8%8.1 pCi/L
Webster County6 of 7110273.5%7.5 pCi/L
Burt County7 of 7141473.2%6.8 pCi/L
Richardson County8 of 7140572.6%5.9 pCi/L
Hamilton County9 of 7134572.2%6.1 pCi/L
Knox County10 of 7121971.2%5.2 pCi/L
Polk County11 of 7128269.1%6.2 pCi/L
Franklin County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
202310.0%3.3 pCi/L3.3 pCi/L38.2%−50.0 points
2022450.0%6.0 pCi/L12.7 pCi/L34.0%−25.0 points
20212475.0%6.0 pCi/L15.2 pCi/L34.9%+15.0 points
20204560.0%4.2 pCi/L33.0 pCi/L42.2%−5.6 points
20199665.6%5.6 pCi/L24.4 pCi/L44.3%+12.7 points
201810252.9%4.0 pCi/L18.6 pCi/L44.5%+2.9 points
20176650.0%3.6 pCi/L12.2 pCi/L47.7%−26.2 points
201612676.2%7.8 pCi/L21.2 pCi/L47.4%+7.9 points
201512368.3%6.2 pCi/L32.0 pCi/L53.3%−11.1 points
201410279.4%6.5 pCi/L34.8 pCi/L50.5%First on file

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

Franklin County, Geology

The ground under Franklin County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Franklin County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 54.3% of Franklin County in the area it calls Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits and 45.6% in Loess over K-T. USGS gives both a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Franklin County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Pre-Wisconsin glacial depositsLoess-mantled glacial drift.High1354.3%
Loess over K-TLoess-mantled Tertiary and Cretaceous bedrock.High1345.6%

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

Franklin County beside the ground around it

Franklin County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 100% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Harlan County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Franklin County, the 7 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Franklin CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kearney CountyZone 1None17.1%82.9%
Harlan CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Webster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Smith County, KSZone 1NoneNone100%
Phelps CountyZone 1None7.0%93.0%
Adams CountyZone 1None0.1%99.9%
Phillips County, KSZone 1NoneNone100%
Nebraska93 counties, pooled by land areaVaries28.2%30.9%40.9%

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

Local help

Franklin County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Franklin County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Franklin County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Franklin

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

Franklin County, Questions

Questions about radon in Franklin County

Are radon levels high in Franklin County?

In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Franklin County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.3 pCi/L. Of 71 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 2 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 47.4%.

Which counties border Franklin County?

Franklin County borders 7 counties: Kearney County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Webster County, NE, Smith County, KS, Phelps County, NE, Adams County, NE and Phillips County, KS.

Products

Franklin County, Products

Testing a home in Franklin County

In Franklin County, 76.2% of 126 tests reported to CDC in 2016 reached 4 pCi/L, against 47.4% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Franklin County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Franklin County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Franklin County

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Franklin County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Franklin County

Calculated by Radon411

Franklin County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Franklin County

About 2,795 people live in Franklin County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 90 fewer than in 2020 (−3.1%). Spread over its land, that is 4.9 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Franklin, has 883 residents, 31.6% of the total. Together its 7 incorporated places hold 67.2% of those residents; the other 32.8% live outside any of them. CDC's 126 reported tests for 2016 work out to 45.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 33.4.

From Franklin to Riverton, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Franklin County's.

The cities and towns in Franklin County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Franklin883−4.5%31.6%
Hildreth366−4.4%13.1%
Campbell258−4.4%9.2%
Upland121−4.0%4.3%
Bloomington108−0.9%3.9%
Naponee84−1.2%3.0%
Riverton57Level2.0%

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).

Franklin County, Homes

Homes in Franklin County

Franklin County is a place of houses on their own lots: 91% of its 1,543 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1943 (1975 for Nebraska), and 64% date from before 1960. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (Nebraska: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Franklin County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesFranklin CountyNebraska
Housing units1,543855,631
Detached houses91%72%
In buildings of 5 or moreunder 1%17%
Mobile homes5%3%
Built before 196064%32%
Built since 20005%22%
Middle year built19431975
Owner-occupied79%67%

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