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 Garfield County, Nebraska
EPA puts Garfield County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 4 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
40.9%
3.4 pts below NE
- Garfield
- 40.9%
- Nebraska
- 44.3%
66 tests, 2019
Median result
3.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Garfield
- 3.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2019
Tests reported
66
60th of 71 by tests
- Garfield
- 66
- Douglas
- 15,510
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2019
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
57 of 71
Lowest quarter
- Garfield
- 40.9%
- Dixon
- 77.8%
By share, of 71 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Garfield County
Starts at Garfield County's median, 3.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.5 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. Garfield County's median reported result, 2019.
The data
Garfield County, At a glance
Garfield County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 80% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Garfield County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 100.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 27.3% |
| 2017 | 25.0% |
| 2018 | 40.0% |
| 2019 | 40.9% |
| 2020 | 25.0% |
| 2021 | 50.0% |
| 2022 | 42.9% |
| 2023 | 25.0% |
2023: 25.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 4 tests were reported to CDC for Garfield 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).
Garfield County, Compared
Garfield County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Garfield County, about 4 in 10 reported tests in 2019 (27 of 66) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 29.0%, the gap is 11.9 points higher. Across 89 Nebraska counties pooled together, 44.3% of tests reached that level, so Garfield County runs 3.4 points below its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 4 tests (25.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 66-test figure.
Of 3 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 1 a smaller one; the spread is 34.5% (Holt County) to 47.4% (Custer County). By share, Garfield County is 57th of 71 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 9.3 pCi/L. Below the action level, 9 tests (13.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 29.4% statewide, and 30 tests (45.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 26.4% statewide.
The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 3 label for Garfield County (predicted average under 2 pCi/L): 40.9% of them reached 4 pCi/L, more than a low-potential zone suggests. USGS geology rates 80% of the county's land low radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2019, with 66 tests reported; the quietest, 2014, had 3.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Garfield County, Geology
The ground under Garfield County
PredictedMost of the ground under Garfield County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 80.1% of its land is low radon potential, with 19.9% moderate. The map puts 80.1% of Garfield County in the area it calls Sand Hills and 19.9% in Loess over Tertiary sediments. 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 | 80.1% |
| Loess over Tertiary sediments | Tertiary bedrock covered by varying thicknesses of loess. | Moderate | 11 | 19.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Garfield County beside the ground around it
Across Nebraska 40.9% of the land is rated high; none of Garfield County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Wheeler County the most at 8.4%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Garfield County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Garfield 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
Garfield County, Questions
Questions about radon in Garfield County
Are radon levels high in Garfield County?
In 2023, 25.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Garfield County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.1 pCi/L. Of 71 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 56 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 44.3%.
Which counties border Garfield County?
Garfield County borders 5 counties: Loup County, Valley County, Wheeler County, Holt County and Custer County.
Products
Garfield County, Products
Testing a home in Garfield County
In Garfield County, 40.9% of 66 tests reported to CDC in 2019 reached 4 pCi/L, against 44.3% 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 Garfield 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
Monitor
EcoQube Wi-Fi continuous radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- App only
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Garfield County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Garfield County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Custer CountyEPA zone 2
47.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.9 pCi/L · 114 tests · 6.5 points above Garfield County
- Radon levels in Valley CountyEPA zone 2
45.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.4 pCi/L · 66 tests · 4.6 points above Garfield County
- Radon levels in Holt CountyEPA zone 3
34.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 87 tests · 6.4 points below Garfield County
- Radon levels in Loup CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 6 tests · 40.9 points below Garfield County
- Radon levels in Wheeler CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.4 pCi/L · 3 tests · 40.9 points below Garfield County
Garfield County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Garfield County
Garfield County has been losing residents: from 1,807 in 2020 to 1,710 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 5.4% by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 3.0 people to the square mile. Burwell, its one incorporated place, has 1,018 residents, 59.5% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 66 reported tests for 2019 come to 38.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 25.7 for Nebraska.
Burwell is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Garfield County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burwell | 1,018 | −6.3% | 59.5% |
One incorporated place, 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).
Garfield County, Homes
Homes in Garfield County
Garfield County is a place of houses on their own lots: 83% of its 977 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. Half of its homes were built before 1973, close to Nebraska's 1975: 44% date from before 1960 and 16% from 2000 or later. 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 | Garfield County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 977 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 83% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 12% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 44% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 16% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1973 | 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.