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Radon Levels in Saunders County, Nebraska

EPA puts Saunders County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 73.2% of the 97 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

    73.2%

    35.0 pts above NE

    Saunders
    73.2%
    Nebraska
    38.2%

    97 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    6.2pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Saunders
    6.2 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    97

    14th of 33 by tests

    Saunders
    97
    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

    6 of 33

    Top quarter

    Saunders
    73.2%
    Gage
    79.8%

    By share, of 33 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Saunders County

Starts at Saunders County's median, 6.2 pCi/L

6.2pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 6.2 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. Saunders County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Saunders County, At a glance

Saunders County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Saunders 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 Saunders County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Saunders County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Saunders County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201456.6%
201571.6%
201664.3%
201762.3%
201860.6%
201966.1%
202066.9%
202156.9%
202244.1%
202373.2%

2023: 73.2%. Across these years the share ran from 44.1% to 73.2%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 97 tests reported to CDC for Saunders 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

Saunders County, Compared

Saunders County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 73.2% of the 97 radon tests reported to CDC for Saunders County in 2023 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 6th of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 35.0 points above the 38.2% pooled from 86 Nebraska counties.

The median result, 6.2 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 29.9 pCi/L. The rest split 13.4% under 2 pCi/L and 13.4% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 39.2% and 22.6%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 73.2% share point the same way here.

1 of its 6 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Seward County at 77.3%; Lancaster County reported 26.7%. 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 2016, with 1,083 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 97.

Over 10 years of annual figures the share rose 16.6 points, from 56.6% in 2014 to 73.2% in 2023; its peak was 73.2% in 2023. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 33.4%; Saunders County sits 39.8 points above it. CDC also counts 84 tests taken after mitigation in Saunders 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, Saunders County against Nebraska2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Saunders County 56.6% to 73.2%, the state's pooled share 38.2% in 2023.
Saunders CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Saunders County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsSaunders County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
201456756.6%50.5%
201583471.6%53.3%
20161,08364.3%47.4%
201781962.3%47.7%
201866360.6%44.5%
201954066.1%44.3%
202048966.9%42.2%
202134856.9%34.9%
202218844.1%34.0%
20239773.2%38.2%
Saunders County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Saunders County
Saunders County9773.2%6.2 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled86 counties, pooled11,16338.2%Not pooled−35.0 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−39.8 points
Gage Countyhighest in the state8479.8%9.4 pCi/L+6.6 points
Dakota Countylowest in the state1303.1%0.4 pCi/L−70.1 points
Seward County, NEborders it8877.3%7.8 pCi/L+4.1 points
Cass County, NEborders it11168.5%5.5 pCi/L−4.7 points
Dodge County, NEborders it11662.1%5.0 pCi/L−11.1 points
Butler County, NEborders it2356.5%7.0 pCi/L−16.7 points
Sarpy County, NEborders it75551.9%4.1 pCi/L−21.3 points
Douglas County, NEborders it2,75438.7%2.9 pCi/L−34.5 points
Lancaster County, NEborders it4,05826.7%1.6 pCi/L−46.5 points
Where Saunders County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultSaunders County testsSaunders County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L1313.4%39.2%41.4%−25.8 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1313.4%22.6%25.2%−9.2 points
4 pCi/L and above7173.2%38.2%33.4%+35.0 points
Saunders 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
Gage County1 of 338479.8%9.4 pCi/L
Cedar County2 of 335078.0%6.8 pCi/L
Seward County3 of 338877.3%7.8 pCi/L
Washington County4 of 337176.1%6.5 pCi/L
Wayne County5 of 334374.4%6.9 pCi/L
Saunders County6 of 339773.2%6.2 pCi/L
Cuming County7 of 333770.3%6.8 pCi/L
Stanton County8 of 333268.8%7.8 pCi/L
Cass County9 of 3311168.5%5.5 pCi/L
Madison County10 of 3321366.7%5.8 pCi/L
Adams County11 of 3315566.5%4.8 pCi/L
Saunders County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
20239773.2%6.2 pCi/L29.9 pCi/L38.2%+29.1 points
202218844.1%3.5 pCi/L43.1 pCi/L34.0%−12.8 points
202134856.9%5.0 pCi/L47.8 pCi/L34.9%−10.0 points
202048966.9%5.8 pCi/L36.1 pCi/L42.2%+0.8 points
201954066.1%5.8 pCi/L66.0 pCi/L44.3%+5.5 points
201866360.6%5.4 pCi/L39.9 pCi/L44.5%−1.7 points
201781962.3%5.2 pCi/L38.6 pCi/L47.7%−2.0 points
20161,08364.3%5.8 pCi/L35.8 pCi/L47.4%−7.3 points
201583471.6%6.7 pCi/L52.2 pCi/L53.3%+15.0 points
201456756.6%5.1 pCi/L33.5 pCi/L50.5%First on file

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

Saunders County, Geology

The ground under Saunders County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Saunders 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 Saunders 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.

Saunders County beside the ground around it

Saunders County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 100% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 7 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: Saunders County, the 7 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Saunders CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Lancaster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Dodge CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Douglas CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Butler CountyZone 1None0.1%99.9%
Sarpy CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Cass CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Seward 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

Saunders County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Saunders County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Saunders County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Wahoo, Ashland

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

Saunders County, Questions

Questions about radon in Saunders County

Are radon levels high in Saunders County?

In 2023, 73.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Saunders County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.2 pCi/L. Of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 5 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.2%.

Which counties border Saunders County?

Saunders County borders 7 counties: Lancaster County, Dodge County, Douglas County, Butler County, Sarpy County, Cass County and Seward County.

Products

Saunders County, Products

Testing a home in Saunders County

In Saunders County, 73.2% of 97 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.2% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Saunders 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

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

Explore

Saunders County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Saunders County

Calculated by Radon411

Saunders County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Saunders County

Saunders County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 23,702 residents on July 1, 2025, up 6.0% from 22,365 in 2020. That works out to 32 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Wahoo, has 5,023 residents, 21.2% of the total. Together its 15 incorporated places hold 59.3% of those residents; the other 40.7% live outside any of them. CDC's 97 reported tests for 2023 work out to 4.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 5.5.

From Wahoo to Malmo, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Saunders County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Saunders County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Wahoo5,023+4.2%21.2%
Ashland3,483+12.3%14.7%
Yutan1,451+7.1%6.1%
Ceresco982+7.0%4.1%
Mead628+1.0%2.6%
Cedar Bluffs615+0.2%2.6%
Valparaiso608+1.5%2.6%
Prague292Level1.2%
Weston250Level1.1%
Ithaca156−1.3%0.7%
Morse Bluff124+6.9%0.5%
Colon120+9.1%0.5%
  • Leshara
  • Memphis
  • Malmo

15 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).

Saunders County, Homes

Homes in Saunders County

Saunders County is a place of houses on their own lots: 86% of its 10,154 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. Half of its homes were built before 1973, close to Nebraska's 1975: 35% date from before 1960 and 22% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 82% of the occupied homes (Nebraska: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Saunders County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesSaunders CountyNebraska
Housing units10,154855,631
Detached houses86%72%
In buildings of 5 or more5%17%
Mobile homes4%3%
Built before 196035%32%
Built since 200022%22%
Middle year built19731975
Owner-occupied82%67%

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