Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Lea County, New Mexico
EPA puts Lea County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 25 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
11.1%
19.2 pts below NM
- Lea
- 11.1%
- New Mexico
- 30.3%
36 tests, 2006 to 2015
Median result
1.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Lea
- 1.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2006 to 2015
Tests reported
36
10th of 12 by tests
- Lea
- 36
- Santa Fe
- 2,019
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2006 to 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 New Mexico
11 of 12
Lowest quarter
- Lea
- 11.1%
- Taos
- 71.9%
By share, of 12 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Lea County
Starts at Lea County's median, 1.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.9 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Lea County's median reported result, 2006 to 2015.
The data
Lea County, At a glance
Lea County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Lea County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 88% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Lea County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CDC holds 25 reported tests for Lea County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, with a median of 2.0 pCi/L: too few to describe a county (Radon411 reads a share from 30 tests up). Lea County beside the counties around it is how this page reads it.
What these figures count
Only 25 tests were reported to CDC for Lea County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), 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: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Lea County, Compared
Lea County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Lea County reports fewer high tests than New Mexico overall. 11.1% of its 36 tests over the 2006 to 2015 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 19.2 points below the 30.3% pooled from 30 New Mexico counties.
The newest figure, over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, counts only 25 tests (16.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 36-test figure.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 11th of 12 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 36.3%; Lea County sits 25.2 points below it.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 11.1% share point the same way here.
Half the tests came in under 1.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 15.3 pCi/L. The rest split 52.8% under 2 pCi/L and 36.1% from 2 to 4 (New Mexico: 37.9% and 31.8%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Lea County went from 35 tests (2005 to 2014) to 25 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 11.4% to 16.0%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Lea County, Geology
The ground under Lea County
PredictedMost of the ground under Lea County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 88.3% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 11.7% low. The map puts 72.9% of Lea County in the area it calls Ogallala Formation/High Plains and 15.4% in Great Plains Pecos Valley Section, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogallala Formation/High Plains | Sandstone, siltstone, minor shale of the Ogallala Formation. | Moderate | 9 | 72.9% |
| Great Plains Pecos Valley Section | Triassic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, Quaternary alluvial and eolian sand and silt. | Moderate | 9 | 15.4% |
| Southern High Plains and Plateaus | Paleozoic and Mesozoic sandstone, limestone, shale. | Low | 7 | 11.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Lea County beside the ground around it
Across New Mexico 19.2% of the land is rated high; none of Lea County's is. Of the 9 counties that border it, 3 have more moderate-potential ground, Chaves County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Lea County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Lea County
- New Mexico Indoor Radon Outreach ProgramNew Mexico Indoor Radon Outreach Program, run by New Mexico Environment Department, does not license radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in New Mexico.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
The New Mexico Environment Department seasonally distributes free radon testing kits to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Compare kits
- See the New Mexico directoryNo professionals are listed in New Mexico yet. The state program can point you to registered testers and mitigators.
What New Mexico's program says
- Phone
- (505) 476-8600
- radon.questions@env.nm.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
There is not currently a certification program within the state.
What it means
Lea County, Questions
Questions about radon in Lea County
Are radon levels high in Lea County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 16.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Lea County, New Mexico were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 12 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 10 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.3%.
Which counties border Lea County?
Lea County borders 9 counties: Yoakum County, TX, Gaines County, TX, Eddy County, NM, Andrews County, TX, Chaves County, NM, Loving County, TX, Winkler County, TX, Cochran County, TX and Roosevelt County, NM.
Products
Lea County, Products
Testing a home in Lea County
In Lea County, 11.1% of 36 tests reported to CDC over the 2006 to 2015 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.3% pooled across New Mexico. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Lea County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL416 long-term radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Monitor
RadonEye RD200 plug-in continuous radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Lea County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Lea County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Chaves County, NMEPA zone 2
64.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.3 pCi/L · 14 tests · 53.2 points above Lea County
- Radon levels in Roosevelt County, NMEPA zone 2
60.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 5 tests · 48.9 points above Lea County
- Radon levels in Eddy County, NMEPA zone 2
5.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 17 tests · 5.2 points below Lea County
- Radon levels in Yoakum County, TXEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 3 tests · 11.1 points below Lea County
- Radon levels in Gaines County, TXEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2006 to 2015; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Andrews County, TXEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2006 to 2015; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Loving County, TXEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2006 to 2015; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Winkler County, TXEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2006 to 2015; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Cochran County, TXEPA zone 3
No CDC figure for 2006 to 2015; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Lea County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Lea County
Lea County's population has barely moved since 2020: 74,749 residents on July 1, 2025 against 74,634 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 17 people per square mile of land. Hobbs alone is home to 40,863 of them, 54.7% of the total. Together its 5 incorporated places hold 78.1% of those residents; the other 21.9% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 36 tests over 2006 to 2015, or 0.5 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where New Mexico as a whole comes to 2.0.
From Hobbs to Tatum, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Lea County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbs | 40,863 | +0.5% | 54.7% |
| Lovington | 11,620 | −0.5% | 15.5% |
| Eunice | 3,037 | −0.7% | 4.1% |
| Jal | 2,178 | −0.9% | 2.9% |
| Tatum | 711 | Level | 1.0% |
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).
Lea County, Homes
Homes in Lea County
Of Lea County's 28,125 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 65% across New Mexico; 18% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1977, close to New Mexico's 1984: 23% date from before 1960 and 23% from 2000 or later. 69% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (New Mexico: 69%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Lea County | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 28,125 | 949,524 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 7% | 10% |
| Mobile homes | 18% | 16% |
| Built before 1960 | 23% | 17% |
| Built since 2000 | 23% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1977 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 69% | 69% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.