Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Holt County, Nebraska
EPA puts Holt County in Zone 3, its lowest 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
42.7%
15.8 pts below NE
- Holt
- 42.7%
- Nebraska
- 58.5%
349 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.3pCi/L
Below action level
- Holt
- 3.3 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
349
28th of 77 by tests
- Holt
- 349
- Douglas
- 8,556
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
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
67 of 77
Lowest quarter
- Holt
- 42.7%
- Clay
- 85.1%
By share, of 77 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Holt County
Starts at Holt County's median, 3.3 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.3 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. Holt County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Holt County, At a glance
Holt County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 55% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Holt County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 51.1% |
| 2015 | 33.3% |
| 2016 | 35.3% |
| 2017 | 29.6% |
| 2018 | 38.1% |
| 2019 | 34.5% |
| 2020 | 45.1% |
| 2021 | 40.0% |
| 2022 | 21.4% |
| 2023 | 16.7% |
2023: 16.7%. Across these years the share ran from 16.7% to 51.1%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 6 tests were reported to CDC for Holt 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).
Holt County, Compared
Holt County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Holt County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (149 of 349) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 7.0 points higher. Across 93 Nebraska counties pooled together, 58.5% of tests reached that level, so Holt County runs 15.8 points below its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 6 tests (16.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 349-test figure.
Of 3 neighbours with a figure, all 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 59.6% (Boyd County) to 71.3% (Antelope County). By share, Holt County is 67th of 77 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 51.1% and 2021 closed at 40.0% (down 11.1 points), with 2014 the high at 51.1%. Half the tests came in under 3.3 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 19.6 pCi/L. Below the action level, 112 tests (32.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 18.6% statewide, and 88 tests (25.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.8% statewide.
The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 3 label for Holt County (predicted average under 2 pCi/L): 42.7% of them reached 4 pCi/L, more than a low-potential zone suggests. USGS geology rates 55% of the county's land low radon potential. CDC also counts 5 tests taken after mitigation in Holt County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 264 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 6.
Holt CountyNebraska, pooled
| Year | Tests | Holt County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 264 | 51.1% | 50.5% |
| 2015 | 135 | 33.3% | 53.3% |
| 2016 | 102 | 35.3% | 47.4% |
| 2017 | 243 | 29.6% | 47.7% |
| 2018 | 252 | 38.1% | 44.5% |
| 2019 | 87 | 34.5% | 44.3% |
| 2020 | 153 | 45.1% | 42.2% |
| 2021 | 60 | 40.0% | 34.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Holt County, Geology
The ground under Holt County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Holt County: 55.1% of its land is low radon potential and 5.2% high and 39.7% moderate. The map puts 55.1% of Holt County in the area it calls Sand Hills and 39.7% in Pierre Shale, with one smaller area beside them. 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 | 55.1% |
| Pierre Shale | Cretaceous marine shale | Moderate | 11 | 39.7% |
| Sharon Springs | Cretaceous Pierre Shale bedrock, including the uranium-bearing Sharon Springs Member. | High | 12 | 5.2% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Holt County beside the ground around it
Nebraska as a whole has more high-potential ground than Holt County: 40.9% of its land, against 5.2% here. Of the 8 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Boyd County the most at 95.1%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Holt County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Holt 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
Holt County, Questions
Questions about radon in Holt County
Are radon levels high in Holt County?
In 2023, 16.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Holt County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.5 pCi/L. Of 77 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 66 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Holt County?
Holt County borders 8 counties: Boyd County, Rock County, Antelope County, Knox County, Garfield County, Keya Paha County, Wheeler County and Loup County.
Products
Holt County, Products
Testing a home in Holt County
In Holt County, 42.7% of 349 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 58.5% 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 Holt County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorPYZYCKYH
RD17 plug-in radon detector with a rechargeable battery and color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Holt County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Holt County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Antelope CountyEPA zone 2
71.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.5 pCi/L · 258 tests · 28.6 points above Holt County
- Radon levels in Knox CountyEPA zone 1
68.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 401 tests · 26.1 points above Holt County
- Radon levels in Boyd CountyEPA zone 1
59.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.6 pCi/L · 47 tests · 16.9 points above Holt County
- Radon levels in Keya Paha CountyEPA zone 2
28.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 14 tests · 14.1 points below Holt County
- Radon levels in Garfield CountyEPA zone 3
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 29 tests · 15.1 points below Holt County
- Radon levels in Wheeler CountyEPA zone 3
25.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.9 pCi/L · 8 tests · 17.7 points below Holt County
- Radon levels in Loup CountyEPA zone 3
6.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 15 tests · 36.0 points below Holt County
- Radon levels in Rock CountyEPA zone 3
4.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.2 pCi/L · 24 tests · 38.5 points below Holt County
Holt County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Holt County
Holt County's population has barely moved since 2020: 10,067 residents on July 1, 2025 against 10,095 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 4.2 people to the square mile. Its largest town, O'Neill, has 3,567 residents, 35.4% of the total. Together its 8 incorporated places hold 63.2% of those residents; the other 36.8% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 349 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 34.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 21.2 for Nebraska.
From O'Neill to Emmet, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Holt County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| O'Neill | 3,567 | −0.1% | 35.4% |
| Atkinson | 1,316 | +0.4% | 13.1% |
| Stuart | 506 | +3.9% | 5.0% |
| Ewing | 373 | −1.1% | 3.7% |
| Chambers | 287 | −0.7% | 2.9% |
| Page | 165 | −1.8% | 1.6% |
| Inman | 99 | −1.0% | 1.0% |
| Emmet | 45 | −2.2% | 0.4% |
8 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).
Holt County, Homes
Homes in Holt County
Holt County is a place of houses on their own lots: 85% of its 4,905 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 44% date from before 1960. 73% 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 | Holt County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,905 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 85% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 44% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 11% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1966 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.