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Radon Levels in Red Willow County, Nebraska

EPA puts Red Willow County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 62.3% of the 53 radon tests reported to CDC (2023) came back 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

    62.3%

    24.1 pts above NE

    Red Willow
    62.3%
    Nebraska
    38.2%

    53 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    4.6pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Red Willow
    4.6 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    53

    24th of 33 by tests

    Red Willow
    53
    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

    16 of 33

    Middle half

    Red Willow
    62.3%
    Gage
    79.8%

    By share, of 33 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Red Willow County

Starts at Red Willow County's median, 4.6 pCi/L

4.6pCi/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

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 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. Red Willow County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Red Willow County, At a glance

Red Willow County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Red Willow 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 Red Willow County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Red Willow County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Red Willow County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201446.4%
201550.9%
201656.5%
201751.0%
201845.1%
201964.2%
202050.0%
202148.0%
202248.4%
202362.3%

2023: 62.3%. Across these years the share ran from 45.1% to 64.2%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 53 tests reported to CDC for Red Willow 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

Red Willow County, Compared

Red Willow County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 62.3% of the 53 radon tests reported to CDC for Red Willow County in 2023 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 16th of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 24.1 points above the 38.2% pooled from 86 Nebraska counties.

The median result, 4.6 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 16.0 pCi/L. The rest split 5.7% under 2 pCi/L and 32.1% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 39.2% and 22.6%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 62.3% share point the same way here.

Statewide for the same period, Gage County reported the highest share (79.8%) and Dakota County the lowest (3.1%).

The busiest year on file was 2015, with 495 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 31.

Over 10 years of annual figures the share rose 15.9 points, from 46.4% in 2014 to 62.3% in 2023; its peak was 64.2% in 2019. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 33.4%; Red Willow County sits 28.9 points above it. CDC also counts 11 tests taken after mitigation in Red Willow 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, Red Willow County against Nebraska2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Red Willow County 46.4% to 62.3%, the state's pooled share 38.2% in 2023.
Red Willow CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Red Willow County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsRed Willow County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
201420746.4%50.5%
201549550.9%53.3%
201632456.5%47.4%
201730651.0%47.7%
201824645.1%44.5%
201915964.2%44.3%
202015050.0%42.2%
202115048.0%34.9%
20223148.4%34.0%
20235362.3%38.2%
Red Willow County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Red Willow County
Red Willow County5362.3%4.6 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled86 counties, pooled11,16338.2%Not pooled−24.1 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−28.9 points
Gage Countyhighest in the state8479.8%9.4 pCi/L+17.5 points
Dakota Countylowest in the state1303.1%0.4 pCi/L−59.2 points
Frontier County, NEborders it4100.0%10.2 pCi/L+37.7 points
Hitchcock County, NEborders it475.0%5.1 pCi/L+12.7 points
Furnas County, NEborders it633.3%3.2 pCi/L−29.0 points
Where Red Willow County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultRed Willow County testsRed Willow County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L35.7%39.2%41.4%−33.5 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1732.1%22.6%25.2%+9.5 points
4 pCi/L and above3362.3%38.2%33.4%+24.1 points
Red Willow 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
Adams County11 of 3315566.5%4.8 pCi/L
Phelps County12 of 334365.1%4.9 pCi/L
Hamilton County13 of 334864.6%5.0 pCi/L
York County14 of 336264.5%5.7 pCi/L
Otoe County15 of 335964.4%5.7 pCi/L
Red Willow County16 of 335362.3%4.6 pCi/L
Dodge County17 of 3311662.1%5.0 pCi/L
Richardson County18 of 333461.8%5.1 pCi/L
Knox County19 of 334660.9%4.7 pCi/L
Nemaha County20 of 333259.4%5.7 pCi/L
Pierce County21 of 335556.4%5.0 pCi/L
Red Willow County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
20235362.3%4.6 pCi/L16.0 pCi/L38.2%+13.9 points
20223148.4%3.6 pCi/L13.7 pCi/L34.0%+0.4 points
202115048.0%3.8 pCi/L12.0 pCi/L34.9%−2.0 points
202015050.0%4.0 pCi/L20.0 pCi/L42.2%−14.2 points
201915964.2%4.9 pCi/L22.1 pCi/L44.3%+19.1 points
201824645.1%3.5 pCi/L14.6 pCi/L44.5%−5.9 points
201730651.0%4.1 pCi/L13.4 pCi/L47.7%−5.5 points
201632456.5%4.2 pCi/L15.2 pCi/L47.4%+5.6 points
201549550.9%4.0 pCi/L20.9 pCi/L53.3%+4.5 points
201420746.4%3.7 pCi/L14.7 pCi/L50.5%First on file

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

Red Willow County, Geology

The ground under Red Willow County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Red Willow 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).

USGS's geologic areas under Red Willow County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Loess over K-TLoess-mantled Tertiary and Cretaceous bedrock.High1399.6%

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

Red Willow County beside the ground around it

Red Willow 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; Decatur County, KS comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Red Willow County, the 5 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Red Willow CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Frontier CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Hitchcock CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Furnas CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Decatur County, KSZone 1NoneNone100%
Rawlins County, KSZone 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

Red Willow County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Red Willow County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Red Willow County:

Listed radon professionals by town: McCook

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

Red Willow County, Questions

Questions about radon in Red Willow County

Are radon levels high in Red Willow County?

In 2023, 62.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Red Willow County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.6 pCi/L. Of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 15 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.2%.

Which counties border Red Willow County?

Red Willow County borders 5 counties: Frontier County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Decatur County, KS and Rawlins County, KS.

Products

Red Willow County, Products

Testing a home in Red Willow County

In Red Willow County, 62.3% of 53 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.2% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Red Willow 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

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

Explore

Red Willow County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Red Willow County

Calculated by Radon411

Red Willow County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Red Willow County

About 10,307 people live in Red Willow County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 375 fewer than in 2020 (−3.5%). That works out to 14 people per square mile of land. McCook alone is home to 7,157 of them, 69.4% of the total. Together its 5 incorporated places hold 78.0% of those residents; the other 22.0% live outside any of them. CDC's 53 reported tests for 2023 work out to 5.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 5.5.

From McCook to Lebanon, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Red Willow County's.

The cities and towns in Red Willow County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
McCook7,157−3.5%69.4%
Indianola505−3.6%4.9%
Bartley256−4.1%2.5%
Danbury72−4.0%0.7%
Lebanon46−4.2%0.4%

5 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).

Red Willow County, Homes

Homes in Red Willow County

Red Willow County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 5,164 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1959 (1975 for Nebraska), and 51% 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 in Red Willow County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesRed Willow CountyNebraska
Housing units5,164855,631
Detached houses80%72%
In buildings of 5 or more9%17%
Mobile homes5%3%
Built before 196051%32%
Built since 20008%22%
Middle year built19591975
Owner-occupied73%67%

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