Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Valley County, Nebraska
EPA puts Valley County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 9 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
60.0%
6.7 pts above NE
- Valley
- 60.0%
- Nebraska
- 53.3%
105 tests, 2015
Median result
5.4pCi/L
Action level reached
- Valley
- 5.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2015
Tests reported
105
55th of 73 by tests
- Valley
- 105
- Douglas
- 20,157
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2015
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Nebraska
37 of 73
Middle half
- Valley
- 60.0%
- Thurston
- 80.0%
By share, of 73 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Valley County
Starts at Valley County's median, 5.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.4 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. Valley County's median reported result, 2015.
The data
Valley County, At a glance
Valley County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Valley County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 96% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Valley County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 33.3% |
| 2015 | 60.0% |
| 2016 | 55.2% |
| 2017 | 64.7% |
| 2018 | 42.3% |
| 2019 | 45.5% |
| 2020 | 36.4% |
| 2021 | 71.4% |
| 2022 | 50.0% |
| 2023 | 55.6% |
2023: 55.6%. Across these years the share ran from 33.3% to 71.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 9 tests were reported to CDC for Valley 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).
Valley County, Compared
Valley County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 60.0% of the 105 radon tests reported to CDC for Valley County in 2015 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 37th of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 6.7 points above the 53.3% pooled from 89 Nebraska counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 9 tests (55.6% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 105-test figure.
The median result, 5.4 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 16.5 pCi/L. The rest split 22.9% under 2 pCi/L and 17.1% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 20.6% and 26.1%). The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Valley County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 60.0% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.
1 of its 2 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Sherman County at 61.1%; Custer County reported 52.4%. Statewide for the same period, Thurston County reported the highest share (80.0%) and Howard County the lowest (24.4%).
The busiest year on file was 2015, with 105 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 4.
Over 6 years of annual figures the share fell 23.6 points, from 60.0% in 2015 to 36.4% in 2020; its peak was 64.7% in 2017. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.5%; Valley County sits 24.5 points above it.
Valley CountyNebraska, pooled
| Year | Tests | Valley County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 105 | 60.0% | 53.3% |
| 2016 | 87 | 55.2% | 47.4% |
| 2017 | 51 | 64.7% | 47.7% |
| 2018 | 78 | 42.3% | 44.5% |
| 2019 | 66 | 45.5% | 44.3% |
| 2020 | 99 | 36.4% | 42.2% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Valley County, Geology
The ground under Valley County
PredictedMost of the ground under Valley County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 95.9% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 0.7% high and 3.3% low. 95.9% of it lies in the area the map calls Loess over Tertiary sediments, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loess over Tertiary sediments | Tertiary bedrock covered by varying thicknesses of loess. | Moderate | 11 | 95.9% |
| Sand Hills | Quaternary windblown sand. | Low | 8 | 3.3% |
| Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits | Loess-mantled glacial drift. | High | 13 | 0.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Valley County beside the ground around it
Nebraska as a whole has more high-potential ground than Valley County: 40.9% of its land, against 0.7% here. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Greeley County the most at 81.3%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Valley County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Valley 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
Valley County, Questions
Questions about radon in Valley County
Are radon levels high in Valley County?
In 2023, 55.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Valley County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.9 pCi/L. Of 73 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 36 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 53.3%.
Which counties border Valley County?
Valley County borders 5 counties: Garfield County, Sherman County, Greeley County, Wheeler County and Custer County.
Products
Valley County, Products
Testing a home in Valley County
In Valley County, 60.0% of 105 tests reported to CDC in 2015 reached 4 pCi/L, against 53.3% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Valley County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
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
MonitorINKBIRD
INK-RD3 battery radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Screen
First reading: Within 24 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Valley County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Valley County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Sherman CountyEPA zone 2
61.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 108 tests · 1.1 points above Valley County
- Radon levels in Custer CountyEPA zone 2
52.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 63 tests · 7.6 points below Valley County
- Radon levels in Greeley CountyEPA zone 1
33.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.9 pCi/L · 9 tests · 26.7 points below Valley County
- Radon levels in Garfield CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 24 tests · 60.0 points below Valley County
- Radon levels in Wheeler CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.3 pCi/L · 3 tests · 60.0 points below Valley County
Valley County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Valley County
The Census Bureau estimates 4,094 residents in Valley County for July 1, 2025, 36 more than in 2020 (+0.9%). Spread over its land, that is 7.2 people to the square mile. Ord alone is home to 2,121 of them, 51.8% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 66.3% of those residents; the other 33.7% live outside any of them. CDC's 105 reported tests for 2015 work out to 25.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 30.4.
From Ord to Elyria, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Valley County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ord | 2,121 | +0.5% | 51.8% |
| Arcadia | 282 | +1.4% | 6.9% |
| North Loup | 260 | +1.2% | 6.4% |
| Elyria | 50 | Level | 1.2% |
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).
Valley County, Homes
Homes in Valley County
Valley County is a place of houses on their own lots: 86% of its 2,116 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1954 (1975 for Nebraska), and 55% 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 | Valley County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 2,116 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 86% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 55% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 14% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1954 | 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.