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 Elko County, Nevada
EPA puts Elko County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and high results are common there: 40.3% of the 159 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
40.3%
17.5 pts above NV
- Elko
- 40.3%
- Nevada
- 22.8%
159 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Elko
- 3.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
159
7th of 11 by tests
- Elko
- 159
- Washoe
- 5,046
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
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 Nevada
2 of 11
Top quarter
- Elko
- 40.3%
- Carson City
- 40.6%
By share, of 11 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Elko County
Starts at Elko County's median, 3.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.1 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. Elko County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Elko County, At a glance
Elko County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Elko County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 89% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Elko County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 27%2 to 4 pCi/L: 33%4 pCi/L and above: 40%
Of 159 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 43 | 27.0% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 52 | 32.7% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 64 | 40.3% |
What these figures count
These are the 159 tests reported to CDC for Elko County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), 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: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Elko County, Compared
Elko County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Elko County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (64 of 159) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 4.6 points higher. Across 16 Nevada counties pooled together, 22.8% of tests reached that level, so Elko County runs 17.5 points above its state.
Of 7 neighbours with a figure, 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 23.3% (Owyhee County, ID) to 64.3% (Box Elder County, UT). By share, Elko County is 2nd of 11 Nevada counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.1 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 57.4 pCi/L. Below the action level, 43 tests (27.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 52.5% statewide, and 52 tests (32.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.8% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 40.3% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 89% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
CDC's ten-year totals for Elko County went from 151 tests (2005 to 2014) to 159 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 35.8% to 40.3%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Elko County, State data
Nevada's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Nevada's own agencies publish about radon tests in Elko County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.
MeasuredState figures, not CDC's
What the Nevada Radon Education Program reports for the ZIP codes in Elko County
The Nevada Radon Education Program publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 11 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Elko County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: 1989-2015.
| ZIP code | What the state reports |
|---|---|
| 89414 | average 3.5 pCi/L |
| 89801 | average 3.7 pCi/L |
| 89815 | average 5.0 pCi/L |
| 89822 | average 4.3 pCi/L |
| 89823 | average 2.5 pCi/L |
| 89825 | average 3.7 pCi/L |
| 89831 | average 4.8 pCi/L |
| 89833 | average 4.8 pCi/L |
| 89834 | average 1.7 pCi/L |
| 89835 | average 10.7 pCi/L |
| 89883 | average 2.1 pCi/L |
- NBMG says the results are based on independently tested homes, not scientific sampling.
- The service publishes an average for each ZIP code but no count of tests.
- Site specific testing is the only way to determine local radon concentrations.
- A ZIP code that crosses the county line is listed whole; its figures cover all of it.
Measured: Nevada Radon Education Program data, 1989-2015.
Elko County, Geology
The ground under Elko County
PredictedMost of the ground under Elko County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 88.5% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 11.5% high. The map puts 58.8% of Elko County in the area it calls Great Basin and 29.7% in Owyhee Upland, with 4 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11 and the second 9, both in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Basin | Sandstone, shale, limestone, mafic volcanic rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 58.8% |
| Owyhee Upland | Tertiary and Quaternary basalt, andesite, and rhyolite. | Moderate | 9 | 29.7% |
| Great Basin | Cenozoic tuffaceous sedimentary rocks.Local areas of uranium-rich rhyolite. | High | 12 | 4.5% |
| Great Basin | Cenozoic tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. Local areas of uranium-rich rhyolite. | High | 12 | 4.2% |
| Great Basin | Tertiary volcanic rocks composed of silicic ash-flow tuffs, rhyolitic flows, shallow intrusive rocks, andeside, and some tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. | High | 12 | 1.8% |
| Great Basin | Tertiary silicic ash-flow tuffs and granitic rocks. | High | 12 | 0.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Elko County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Elko County is close to Nevada as a whole: 11.5% of its land against 17.3%. Of the 9 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Lander County the most at 34.0%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Elko County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Elko County
- Nevada Radon Education ProgramNevada Radon Education Program, run by University Of Nevada, Reno, offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Nevada.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
The program offers literature, maps, educational presentations and low-cost radon test kits.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Nevada20 professionals are listed in Nevada.
What Nevada's program says
- chrisk@unr.edu
What it means
Elko County, Questions
Questions about radon in Elko County
Are radon levels high in Elko County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 40.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Elko County, Nevada were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.1 pCi/L. Of 11 Nevada counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.8%.
Which counties border Elko County?
Elko County borders 9 counties: Twin Falls County, ID, Owyhee County, ID, Eureka County, NV, Cassia County, ID, Lander County, NV, Box Elder County, UT, Humboldt County, NV, Tooele County, UT and White Pine County, NV.
Products
Elko County, Products
Testing a home in Elko County
In Elko County, 40.3% of 159 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.8% pooled across Nevada. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Elko 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011S rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 12 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Elko County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Elko County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Box Elder County, UTEPA zone 2
64.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 440 tests · 24.0 points above Elko County
- Radon levels in Cassia County, IDEPA zone 2
59.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.4 pCi/L · 121 tests · 19.2 points above Elko County
- Radon levels in Tooele County, UTEPA zone 2
45.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 471 tests · 5.1 points above Elko County
- Radon levels in White Pine County, NVEPA zone 1
39.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 69 tests · 1.2 points below Elko County
- Radon levels in Humboldt County, NVEPA zone 2
32.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 65 tests · 8.0 points below Elko County
- Radon levels in Lander County, NVEPA zone 1
29.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 17 tests · 10.9 points below Elko County
- Radon levels in Twin Falls County, IDEPA zone 2
24.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 369 tests · 16.2 points below Elko County
- Radon levels in Owyhee County, IDEPA zone 2
23.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 30 tests · 17.0 points below Elko County
- Radon levels in Eureka County, NVEPA zone 1
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 6 tests · 40.3 points below Elko County
Elko County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Elko County
The Census Bureau estimates 54,815 residents in Elko County for July 1, 2025, 1,138 more than in 2020 (+2.1%). Spread over its land, that is 3.2 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Elko, has 21,019 residents, 38.3% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 52.6% of those residents; the other 47.4% live outside any of them. CDC's 159 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 2.9 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nevada's 3.3.
From Elko to Wells, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Elko County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elko | 21,019 | +2.3% | 38.3% |
| West Wendover | 4,576 | +1.1% | 8.3% |
| Carlin | 2,011 | +0.1% | 3.7% |
| Wells | 1,245 | +0.2% | 2.3% |
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).
Elko County, Homes
Homes in Elko County
Of Elko County's 22,033 homes, 56% are detached houses, against 60% across Nevada; 25% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1989, close to Nevada's 1996: 12% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. 70% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Nevada: 59%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Elko County | Nevada |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 22,033 | 1,307,338 |
| Detached houses | 56% | 60% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 9% | 22% |
| Mobile homes | 25% | 6% |
| Built before 1960 | 12% | 5% |
| Built since 2000 | 26% | 40% |
| Middle year built | 1989 | 1996 |
| Owner-occupied | 70% | 59% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.