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 Hitchcock County, Nebraska
EPA puts Hitchcock County in Zone 1, its highest 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
50.7%
7.9 pts below NE
- Hitchcock
- 50.7%
- Nebraska
- 58.6%
67 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
4.0pCi/L
Action level reached
- Hitchcock
- 4.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
67
64th of 76 by tests
- Hitchcock
- 67
- Douglas
- 8,778
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016
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
60 of 76
Lowest quarter
- Hitchcock
- 50.7%
- Clay
- 86.4%
By share, of 76 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Hitchcock County
Starts at Hitchcock County's median, 4.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.0 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. Hitchcock County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.
The data
Hitchcock County, At a glance
Hitchcock County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Hitchcock 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 Hitchcock County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 54.5% |
| 2015 | 38.9% |
| 2016 | 54.5% |
| 2017 | 42.9% |
| 2018 | 33.3% |
| 2019 | 46.2% |
| 2020 | 20.0% |
| 2021 | 60.0% |
| 2022 | 50.0% |
| 2023 | 75.0% |
2023: 75.0%. Across these years the share ran from 20.0% to 75.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 4 tests were reported to CDC for Hitchcock 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).
Hitchcock County, Compared
Hitchcock County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 50.7% of the 67 radon tests reported to CDC for Hitchcock County over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 60th of 76 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 7.9 points below the 58.6% pooled from 93 Nebraska counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 4 tests (75.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 67-test figure.
The median result, 4.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 9.7 pCi/L. The rest split 13.4% under 2 pCi/L and 35.8% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 18.6% and 22.8%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 50.7% share point the same way here.
All 2 of its bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Red Willow County at 60.3%; the lowest of them, Frontier County, reported 54.8%. Statewide for the same period, Clay County reported the highest share (86.4%) and Merrick County the lowest (26.3%).
The busiest year on file was 2015, with 54 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 4.
Over 5 years of annual figures the share fell 8.3 points, from 54.5% in 2014 to 46.2% in 2019; its peak was 54.5% in 2014. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.8%; Hitchcock County sits 14.9 points above it.
Hitchcock CountyNebraska, pooled
| Year | Tests | Hitchcock County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 33 | 54.5% | 50.5% |
| 2015 | 54 | 38.9% | 53.3% |
| 2016 | 33 | 54.5% | 47.4% |
| 2017 | 42 | 42.9% | 47.7% |
| 2019 | 39 | 46.2% | 44.3% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Hitchcock County, Geology
The ground under Hitchcock County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Hitchcock County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Loess over K-T, to which USGS gives 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 | 99.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Hitchcock County beside the ground around it
Hitchcock County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 100% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Frontier County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Hitchcock County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Hitchcock 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
Hitchcock County, Questions
Questions about radon in Hitchcock County
Are radon levels high in Hitchcock County?
In 2023, 75.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Hitchcock County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.1 pCi/L. Of 76 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 59 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.6%.
Which counties border Hitchcock County?
Hitchcock County borders 5 counties: Hayes County, NE, Red Willow County, NE, Rawlins County, KS, Dundy County, NE and Frontier County, NE.
Products
Hitchcock County, Products
Testing a home in Hitchcock County
In Hitchcock County, 50.7% of 67 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 58.6% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Hitchcock 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
MonitorX-Sense
XR0B-SR battery digital radon monitor with an alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Hitchcock County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Hitchcock County
Explore
Hitchcock County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Hitchcock County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Hayes County, NEEPA zone 1
62.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.6 pCi/L · 8 tests · 11.8 points above Hitchcock County
- Radon levels in Red Willow County, NEEPA zone 1
60.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.5 pCi/L · 277 tests · 9.6 points above Hitchcock County
- Radon levels in Frontier County, NEEPA zone 1
54.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 42 tests · 4.1 points above Hitchcock County
- Radon levels in Dundy County, NEEPA zone 2
52.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 21 tests · 1.7 points above Hitchcock County
- Radon levels in Rawlins County, KSEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2007 to 2016; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Hitchcock County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Hitchcock County
Hitchcock County has been losing residents: from 2,623 in 2020 to 2,467 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 5.9% by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 3.5 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Culbertson, has 511 residents, 20.7% of the total. CDC's 67 reported tests for 2007 to 2016 work out to 27.2 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 20.2.
From Culbertson to Palisade, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Hitchcock County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culbertson | 511 | −5.2% | 20.7% |
| Trenton | 465 | −9.9% | 18.8% |
| Stratton | 304 | −4.7% | 12.3% |
| Palisadeextends beyond Hitchcock County | 277 | −5.1% | Counted whole |
4 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 Hitchcock County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Hitchcock County, Homes
Homes in Hitchcock County
Hitchcock County is a place of houses on their own lots: 84% of its 1,566 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1953 (1975 for Nebraska), and 59% 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 | Hitchcock County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,566 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 84% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 1% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 13% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 59% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 2% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1953 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 79% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.