Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Harlan County, Nebraska
EPA puts Harlan County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 6 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
62.1%
17.6 pts above NE
- Harlan
- 62.1%
- Nebraska
- 44.5%
87 tests, 2018
Median result
4.6pCi/L
Action level reached
- Harlan
- 4.6 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2018
Tests reported
87
55th of 73 by tests
- Harlan
- 87
- Lancaster
- 17,193
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2018
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Nebraska
27 of 73
Middle half
- Harlan
- 62.1%
- Colfax
- 74.1%
By share, of 73 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Harlan County
Starts at Harlan County's median, 4.6 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.6 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Harlan County's median reported result, 2018.
The data
Harlan County, At a glance
Harlan County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Harlan County in
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 Harlan County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 46.7% |
| 2015 | 57.1% |
| 2016 | 66.7% |
| 2017 | 72.0% |
| 2018 | 62.1% |
| 2019 | 40.0% |
| 2020 | 33.3% |
| 2021 | 66.7% |
| 2022 | 62.5% |
| 2023 | 83.3% |
2023: 83.3%. Across these years the share ran from 33.3% to 83.3%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 6 tests were reported to CDC for Harlan 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).
Harlan County, Compared
Harlan County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 62.1% of the 87 radon tests reported to CDC for Harlan County in 2018 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 27th of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 17.6 points above the 44.5% pooled from 85 Nebraska counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 6 tests (83.3% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 87-test figure.
The median result, 4.6 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 15.1 pCi/L. The rest split 17.2% under 2 pCi/L and 20.7% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 30.7% and 24.8%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 62.1% share point the same way here.
1 of its 3 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Phelps County at 64.1%; Franklin County reported 52.9%. Statewide for the same period, Colfax County reported the highest share (74.1%) and Cherry County the lowest (10.0%).
The busiest year on file was 2018, with 87 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 6.
Over 7 years of annual figures the share rose 20.0 points, from 46.7% in 2014 to 66.7% in 2021; its peak was 72.0% in 2017. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 29.1%; Harlan County sits 33.0 points above it.
Harlan CountyNebraska, pooled
66.7% % of tests34.9% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Harlan County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 45 | 46.7% | 50.5% |
| 2015 | 84 | 57.1% | 53.3% |
| 2016 | 81 | 66.7% | 47.4% |
| 2017 | 75 | 72.0% | 47.7% |
| 2018 | 87 | 62.1% | 44.5% |
| 2019 | 60 | 40.0% | 44.3% |
| 2021 | 36 | 66.7% | 34.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Harlan County, Geology
The ground under Harlan County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Harlan County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 91.9% of Harlan County in the area it calls Loess over K-T and 7.9% in Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits. USGS gives both a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loess over K-T | Loess-mantled Tertiary and Cretaceous bedrock. | High | 13 | 91.9% |
| Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits | Loess-mantled glacial drift. | High | 13 | 7.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Harlan County beside the ground around it
Harlan County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 100% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Phillips County, KS comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Harlan County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Harlan 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
Harlan County, Questions
Questions about radon in Harlan County
Are radon levels high in Harlan County?
In 2023, 83.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Harlan County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.7 pCi/L. Of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 26 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 44.5%.
Which counties border Harlan County?
Harlan County borders 6 counties: Phelps County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Phillips County, KS, Kearney County, NE and Norton County, KS.
Products
Harlan County, Products
Testing a home in Harlan County
In Harlan County, 62.1% of 87 tests reported to CDC in 2018 reached 4 pCi/L, against 44.5% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Harlan 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
Monitor
RM-63Pro rechargeable radon monitor with a touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Harlan County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Harlan County
Explore
Harlan County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Harlan County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Phelps County, NEEPA zone 1
64.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.7 pCi/L · 192 tests · 2.0 points above Harlan County
- Radon levels in Norton County, KSEPA zone 1
62.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.3 pCi/L · 16 tests · 0.4 points above Harlan County
- Radon levels in Kearney County, NEEPA zone 1
54.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 249 tests · 7.9 points below Harlan County
- Radon levels in Franklin County, NEEPA zone 1
52.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 102 tests · 9.2 points below Harlan County
- Radon levels in Phillips County, KSEPA zone 1
40.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 25 tests · 22.1 points below Harlan County
- Radon levels in Furnas County, NEEPA zone 1
28.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 21 tests · 33.5 points below Harlan County
Harlan County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Harlan County
About 3,000 people live in Harlan County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 58 fewer than in 2020 (−1.9%). Spread over its land, that is 5.4 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Alma, has 1,009 residents, 33.6% of the total. CDC's 87 reported tests for 2018 work out to 29.0 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 31.1.
From Alma to Ragan, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Harlan County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | 1,009 | −2.2% | 33.6% |
| Oxfordextends beyond Harlan County | 701 | −2.5% | Counted whole |
| Orleans | 327 | −4.4% | 10.9% |
| Stamford | 153 | −3.8% | 5.1% |
| Republican City | 138 | +3.8% | 4.6% |
| Huntley | 32 | −3.0% | 1.1% |
| Ragan | 21 | −4.5% | 0.7% |
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). A place that extends beyond Harlan County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Harlan County, Homes
Homes in Harlan County
Harlan County is a place of houses on their own lots: 75% of its 1,890 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1966 (1975 for Nebraska), and 43% date from before 1960. Owners live in 85% of the occupied homes (Nebraska: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Harlan County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,890 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 75% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 1% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 22% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 43% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1966 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 85% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.