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Radon Levels in Lancaster County, Nebraska

EPA puts Lancaster County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 26.7% of its 4,058 reported radon tests (2023) were at or above 4 pCi/L. 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

    26.7%

    11.5 pts below NE

    Lancaster
    26.7%
    Nebraska
    38.2%

    4,058 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    1.6pCi/L

    Below action level

    Lancaster
    1.6 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    4,058

    Most tested in Nebraska

    Lancaster
    4,058

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • 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

    28 of 33

    Lowest quarter

    Lancaster
    26.7%
    Gage
    79.8%

    By share, of 33 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Lancaster County

Starts at Lancaster County's median, 1.6 pCi/L

1.6pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.6 pCi/L

Below 2 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 below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Lancaster County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this reading

The data

Lancaster County, At a glance

Lancaster County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Lancaster County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Lancaster County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201444.5%
201553.1%
201645.6%
201744.5%
201831.5%
201936.2%
202038.5%
202128.2%
202227.3%
202326.7%

2023: 26.7%. Across these years the share ran from 26.7% to 53.1%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 4,058 tests reported to CDC for Lancaster County over 2023, many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not 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

Lancaster County, Compared

Lancaster County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Lancaster County's 4,058 reported tests in 2023 had a middle value of 1.6 pCi/L and a maximum of 145.9 pCi/L, and 26.7% reached 4 pCi/L. Nebraska as a whole (86 Nebraska counties, pooled) comes to 38.2%: 11.5 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 28th of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Gage County reported the highest share (79.8%) and Dakota County the lowest (3.1%).

Below the action level, 2,233 tests (55.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 39.2% statewide, and 740 tests (18.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.6% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2018, with 17,193 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 3,450.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Lancaster County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 64.4% in Otoe County to 79.8% in Gage County. Over 10 years of annual figures the share fell 17.8 points, from 44.5% in 2014 to 26.7% in 2023; its peak was 53.1% in 2015.

CDC also counts 1,033 tests taken after mitigation in Lancaster County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Lancaster County against Nebraska2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Lancaster County 44.5% to 26.7%, the state's pooled share 38.2% in 2023.
Lancaster CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Lancaster County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsLancaster County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
201411,28644.5%50.5%
201511,45753.1%53.3%
201613,05345.6%47.4%
201713,94744.5%47.7%
201817,19331.5%44.5%
201912,84936.2%44.3%
202011,63738.5%42.2%
202110,35328.2%34.9%
20223,45027.3%34.0%
20234,05826.7%38.2%
Lancaster County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Lancaster County
Lancaster County4,05826.7%1.6 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled86 counties, pooled11,16338.2%Not pooled+11.5 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled+6.7 points
Cedar Countyhighest in the state5078.0%6.8 pCi/L+51.3 points
Dakota Countylowest in the state1303.1%0.4 pCi/L−23.6 points
Gage County, NEborders it8479.8%9.4 pCi/L+53.1 points
Seward County, NEborders it8877.3%7.8 pCi/L+50.6 points
Saunders County, NEborders it9773.2%6.2 pCi/L+46.5 points
Cass County, NEborders it11168.5%5.5 pCi/L+41.8 points
Otoe County, NEborders it5964.4%5.7 pCi/L+37.7 points
Johnson County, NEborders it1861.1%4.7 pCi/L+34.4 points
Butler County, NEborders it2356.5%7.0 pCi/L+29.8 points
Saline County, NEborders it2951.7%4.2 pCi/L+25.0 points
Where Lancaster County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultLancaster County testsLancaster County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L2,23355.0%39.2%41.4%+15.8 points
2 to 4 pCi/L74018.2%22.6%25.2%−4.4 points
4 pCi/L and above1,08526.7%38.2%33.4%−11.5 points
Lancaster County ranked among the 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Sarpy County23 of 3375551.9%4.1 pCi/L
Douglas County24 of 332,75438.7%2.9 pCi/L
Cheyenne County25 of 335536.4%3.6 pCi/L
Box Butte County26 of 335435.2%3.3 pCi/L
Scotts Bluff County27 of 3327327.5%1.8 pCi/L
Lancaster County28 of 334,05826.7%1.6 pCi/L
Platte County29 of 3321226.4%1.6 pCi/L
Dawson County30 of 339718.6%2.0 pCi/L
Hall County31 of 3325317.8%1.7 pCi/L
Lincoln County32 of 3327112.2%2.1 pCi/L
Dakota County33 of 331303.1%0.4 pCi/L
Lancaster County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
20234,05826.7%1.6 pCi/L145.9 pCi/L38.2%−0.6 points
20223,45027.3%2.0 pCi/L50.1 pCi/L34.0%−0.9 points
202110,35328.2%2.0 pCi/L27.9 pCi/L34.9%−10.3 points
202011,63738.5%2.9 pCi/L52.0 pCi/L42.2%+2.3 points
201912,84936.2%2.7 pCi/L52.4 pCi/L44.3%+4.7 points
201817,19331.5%1.9 pCi/L116.0 pCi/L44.5%−13.0 points
201713,94744.5%3.5 pCi/L96.0 pCi/L47.7%−1.1 points
201613,05345.6%3.6 pCi/L111.8 pCi/L47.4%−7.5 points
201511,45753.1%4.2 pCi/L68.9 pCi/L53.3%+8.6 points
201411,28644.5%3.4 pCi/L117.1 pCi/L50.5%First on file

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

Lancaster County, Geology

The ground under Lancaster County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Lancaster County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits, to which USGS gives a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Lancaster County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Pre-Wisconsin glacial depositsLoess-mantled glacial drift.High13100%

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

Lancaster County beside the ground around it

Lancaster County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 100% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 8 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Cass County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Lancaster County, the 8 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Lancaster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Seward CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Saunders CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Cass CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Saline CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Butler CountyZone 1None0.1%99.9%
Otoe CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Gage CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Johnson CountyZone 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

Lancaster County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Lancaster County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Lancaster County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Lincoln, Hickman

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

Lancaster County, Questions

Questions about radon in Lancaster County

Are radon levels high in Lancaster County?

In 2023, 26.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Lancaster County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.6 pCi/L. Of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 27 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.2%.

Which counties border Lancaster County?

Lancaster County borders 8 counties: Seward County, Saunders County, Cass County, Saline County, Butler County, Otoe County, Gage County and Johnson County.

Products

Lancaster County, Products

Testing a home in Lancaster County

In Lancaster County, 26.7% of 4,058 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.2% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Lancaster 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

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

Explore

Lancaster County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Lancaster County

Calculated by Radon411

Lancaster County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Lancaster County

The Census Bureau estimates 334,049 residents in Lancaster County for July 1, 2025, 10,871 more than in 2020 (+3.4%). That works out to 399 people per square mile of land. Lincoln alone is home to 301,522 of them, 90.3% of the total. Together its 13 incorporated places hold 93.8% of those residents; the other 6.2% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 4,058 reported tests for 2023 come to 12.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 5.5 for Nebraska.

From Lincoln to Davey, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Lancaster County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Lancaster County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Lincoln301,522+3.3%90.3%
Waverly4,533+5.6%1.4%
Hickman3,663+38.0%1.1%
Bennet1,104+1.8%0.3%
Firth644−1.5%0.2%
Malcolm486+5.9%0.1%
Hallam320+18.1%Under 0.1%
Panama230−3.4%Under 0.1%
Roca213+3.4%Under 0.1%
Denton188+0.5%Under 0.1%
Raymond153−3.8%Under 0.1%
Sprague134−2.2%Under 0.1%
  • Davey

13 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).

Lancaster County, Homes

Homes in Lancaster County

Of Lancaster County's 138,232 homes, 59% are detached houses, against 72% across Nebraska; 26% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1981, close to Nebraska's 1975: 25% date from before 1960 and 28% from 2000 or later. 59% 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 in Lancaster County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesLancaster CountyNebraska
Housing units138,232855,631
Detached houses59%72%
In buildings of 5 or more26%17%
Mobile homes2%3%
Built before 196025%32%
Built since 200028%22%
Middle year built19811975
Owner-occupied59%67%

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