Short-term kit
Air Chek Short-Term radon test kit you hang, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
In home: 72 to 168 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Lincoln County, New Mexico
EPA puts Lincoln County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 22 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
19.4%
10.3 pts below NM
- Lincoln
- 19.4%
- New Mexico
- 29.7%
36 tests, 2005 to 2014
Median result
1.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Lincoln
- 1.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2005 to 2014
Tests reported
36
11th of 13 by tests
- Lincoln
- 36
- Santa Fe
- 2,314
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2005 to 2014
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
9 of 13
Middle half
- Lincoln
- 19.4%
- Taos
- 69.2%
By share, of 13 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Lincoln County
Starts at Lincoln 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. Lincoln County's median reported result, 2005 to 2014.
The data
Lincoln County, At a glance
Lincoln County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Lincoln County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 94% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Lincoln County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CDC holds 22 reported tests for Lincoln County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, with a median of 1.9 pCi/L: too few to describe a county (Radon411 reads a share from 30 tests up). Lincoln County beside the counties around it is how this page reads it.
What these figures count
Only 22 tests were reported to CDC for Lincoln 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).
Lincoln County, Compared
Lincoln County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Lincoln County's 36 reported tests over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.9 pCi/L and a maximum of 9.3 pCi/L, and 19.4% reached 4 pCi/L. New Mexico as a whole (30 New Mexico counties, pooled) comes to 29.7%: 10.3 points higher than here.
The newest figure, over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, counts only 22 tests (27.3% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 36-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 9th of 13 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Taos County reported the highest share (69.2%) and Otero County the lowest (11.3%).
Below the action level, 20 tests (55.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 38.8% statewide, and 9 tests (25.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 31.4% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Lincoln County went from 36 tests (2005 to 2014) to 22 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 19.4% to 27.3%.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Lincoln County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 94% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Otero County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 11.3%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Lincoln County, Geology
The ground under Lincoln County
PredictedMost of the ground under Lincoln County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 94.0% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 6.0% high. The map puts 70.6% of Lincoln County in the area it calls Basin and Range Sacramento Section and 21.9% in Basin and Range, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basin and Range Sacramento Section | Paleozoic marine limestones and shales. | Moderate | 10 | 70.6% |
| Basin and Range | Tertiary volcanic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. | Moderate | 10 | 21.9% |
| Rocky Mountains (southern extension) | Sandstone, siltstone, shale, volcanic sediments, and valley-fill alluvium. | High | 12 | 6.0% |
| Great Plains Pecos Valley Section | Triassic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, Quaternary alluvial and eolian sand and silt. | Moderate | 9 | 1.5% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Lincoln County beside the ground around it
New Mexico as a whole has more high-potential ground than Lincoln County: 19.2% of its land, against 6.0% here. Of the 7 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Sierra County the most at 50.4%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Lincoln County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Lincoln 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
Lincoln County, Questions
Questions about radon in Lincoln County
Are radon levels high in Lincoln County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 27.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Lincoln County, New Mexico were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.9 pCi/L. Of 13 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 8 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 29.7%.
Which counties border Lincoln County?
Lincoln County borders 7 counties: Torrance County, Otero County, Chaves County, De Baca County, Socorro County, Guadalupe County and Sierra County.
Products
Lincoln County, Products
Testing a home in Lincoln County
In Lincoln County, 19.4% of 36 tests reported to CDC over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 29.7% pooled across New Mexico. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Lincoln 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
MonitorX-Sense
XR0A-iR Wi-Fi battery radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Wi-Fi
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Lincoln County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Lincoln County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Chaves CountyEPA zone 2
44.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.4 pCi/L · 25 tests · 24.6 points above Lincoln County
- Radon levels in Otero CountyEPA zone 2
11.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.0 pCi/L · 53 tests · 8.1 points below Lincoln County
- Radon levels in Torrance CountyEPA zone 2
7.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 13 tests · 11.7 points below Lincoln County
- Radon levels in Socorro CountyEPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 8 tests · 19.4 points below Lincoln County
- Radon levels in Sierra CountyEPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 7 tests · 19.4 points below Lincoln County
- Radon levels in De Baca CountyEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2005 to 2014; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Guadalupe CountyEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2005 to 2014; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Lincoln County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Lincoln County
About 19,844 people live in Lincoln County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 464 fewer than in 2020 (−2.3%). Spread over its land, that is 4.1 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Ruidoso, has 7,580 residents, 38.2% of the total. Together its 5 incorporated places hold 63.8% of those residents; the other 36.2% live outside any of them. CDC's 36 reported tests for 2005 to 2014 work out to 1.8 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to New Mexico's 2.2.
From Ruidoso to Corona, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Lincoln County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruidoso | 7,580 | −1.5% | 38.2% |
| Ruidoso Downs | 2,588 | −2.6% | 13.0% |
| Capitan | 1,402 | +0.1% | 7.1% |
| Carrizozo | 959 | −2.2% | 4.8% |
| Corona | 128 | −1.5% | 0.6% |
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).
Lincoln County, Homes
Homes in Lincoln County
Of Lincoln County's 17,768 homes, 64% are detached houses, against 65% across New Mexico; 26% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1985, close to New Mexico's 1984: 11% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (New Mexico: 69%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Lincoln County | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 17,768 | 949,524 |
| Detached houses | 64% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 10% |
| Mobile homes | 26% | 16% |
| Built before 1960 | 11% | 17% |
| Built since 2000 | 26% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1985 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 69% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.