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Radon Levels in Otero County, New Mexico

EPA puts Otero County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 23 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    10.7%

    19.6 pts below NM

    Otero
    10.7%
    New Mexico
    30.3%

    56 tests, 2006 to 2015

  • Median result

    1.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Otero
    1.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2006 to 2015

  • Tests reported

    56

    8th of 12 by tests

    Otero
    56
    Santa Fe
    2,019

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2006 to 2015

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in New Mexico

    12 of 12

    Lowest quarter

    Otero
    10.7%
    Taos
    71.9%

    By share, of 12 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Otero County

Starts at Otero County's median, 1.1 pCi/L

1.1pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.1 pCi/L

Below 2 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 below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Otero County's median reported result, 2006 to 2015.

Interpret this reading

The data

Otero County, At a glance

Otero County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Otero County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 61% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Otero County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

CDC holds 23 reported tests for Otero County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, with a median of 1.2 pCi/L: too few to describe a county (Radon411 reads a share from 30 tests up). Otero County beside the counties around it is how this page reads it.

What these figures count

Only 23 tests were reported to CDC for Otero 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).

How to read these figures

Otero County, Compared

Otero County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Otero County reports fewer high tests than New Mexico overall. 10.7% of its 56 tests over the 2006 to 2015 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 19.6 points below the 30.3% pooled from 30 New Mexico counties.

The newest figure, over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, counts only 23 tests (13.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 56-test figure.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 12th 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%; Otero County sits 25.6 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 0.0% in El Paso County, TX to 20.6% in Lincoln County, with El Paso County, TX below Otero County. Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 10.7% share point the same way here.

Half the tests came in under 1.1 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 13.7 pCi/L. The rest split 76.8% under 2 pCi/L and 12.5% from 2 to 4 (New Mexico: 37.9% and 31.8%).

CDC's ten-year totals for Otero County went from 53 tests (2005 to 2014) to 23 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 11.3% to 13.0%.

Otero County against New Mexico, the United States and nearby counties, 2006 to 2015, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Otero County
Otero County5610.7%1.1 pCi/LThis county
New Mexico, pooled30 counties, pooled4,25130.3%Not pooled+19.6 points
United States, pooled2,669 counties, pooled1,805,52836.3%Not pooled+25.6 points
Taos Countyhighest in the state9671.9%7.7 pCi/L+61.2 points
Lea Countylowest in the state3611.1%1.9 pCi/L+0.4 points
Chaves County, NMborders it1464.3%6.3 pCi/L+53.6 points
Lincoln County, NMborders it3420.6%1.9 pCi/L+9.9 points
Doña Ana County, NMborders it10416.3%1.4 pCi/L+5.6 points
Eddy County, NMborders it175.9%0.1 pCi/L−4.8 points
Sierra County, NMborders it70.0%1.4 pCi/L−10.7 points
El Paso County, TXborders it550.0%0.7 pCi/L−10.7 points
Where Otero County's reported results fell, 2006 to 2015, laboratory, beside New Mexico and the United States
ResultOtero County testsOtero County shareNew Mexico shareU.S. shareAgainst New Mexico
Under 2 pCi/L4376.8%37.9%39.4%+38.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L712.5%31.8%24.3%−19.3 points
4 pCi/L and above610.7%30.3%36.3%−19.6 points
Otero County ranked among the 12 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2006 to 2015, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
San Miguel County2 of 123644.4%3.5 pCi/L
McKinley County3 of 123141.9%2.9 pCi/L
Los Alamos County4 of 129438.3%3.0 pCi/L
Santa Fe County5 of 122,01932.5%2.8 pCi/L
San Juan County6 of 126030.0%2.2 pCi/L
Bernalillo County7 of 121,34225.2%2.1 pCi/L
Sandoval County8 of 1215024.7%2.0 pCi/L
Lincoln County9 of 123420.6%1.9 pCi/L
Doña Ana County10 of 1210416.3%1.4 pCi/L
Lea County11 of 123611.1%1.9 pCi/L
Otero County12 of 125610.7%1.1 pCi/L
Otero County ten-year laboratory totals, against New Mexico's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNew Mexico, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20172313.0%1.2 pCi/L13.7 pCi/L28.5%−0.6 points
2007 to 20162213.6%1.4 pCi/L13.7 pCi/L30.0%+2.9 points
2006 to 20155610.7%1.1 pCi/L13.7 pCi/L30.3%−0.6 points
2005 to 20145311.3%1.0 pCi/L13.7 pCi/L29.7%First on file

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

Otero County, Geology

The ground under Otero County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map splits Otero County: 60.5% of its land is moderate radon potential and 39.5% high. The map puts 57.1% of Otero County in the area it calls Basin and Range Sacramento Section and 39.5% in Rocky Mountains (southern extension), with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 12, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Otero County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Basin and Range Sacramento SectionPaleozoic marine limestones and shales.Moderate1057.1%
Rocky Mountains (southern extension)Sandstone, siltstone, shale, volcanic sediments, and valley-fill alluvium.High1239.5%
Basin and RangeTertiary volcanic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks.Moderate103.3%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Otero County beside the ground around it

Otero County has more high-potential ground than New Mexico as a whole: 39.5% of its land against 19.2%. Of the 8 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, El Paso County, TX the most at 93.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Otero County, the 8 counties bordering it and New Mexico
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Otero CountyZone 2None60.5%39.5%
Doña Ana CountyZone 239.4%17.4%43.2%
Lincoln CountyZone 2None94.0%6.0%
Sierra CountyZone 21.1%48.6%50.4%
El Paso County, TXZone 36.2%None93.8%
Chaves CountyZone 2None100%None
Eddy CountyZone 27.1%92.9%None
Hudspeth County, TXZone 2None91.7%8.2%
Culberson County, TXZone 2None100%None
New Mexico33 counties, pooled by land areaVaries7.4%73.4%19.2%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Otero County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Otero County

What New Mexico's program says
Phone
(505) 476-8600
Email
radon.questions@env.nm.gov
Licensing of radon professionals
There is not currently a certification program within the state.

What it means

Otero County, Questions

Questions about radon in Otero County

Are radon levels high in Otero County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 13.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Otero County, New Mexico were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.2 pCi/L. Of 12 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 11 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.3%.

Which counties border Otero County?

Otero County borders 8 counties: Doña Ana County, NM, Lincoln County, NM, Sierra County, NM, El Paso County, TX, Chaves County, NM, Eddy County, NM, Hudspeth County, TX and Culberson County, TX.

Products

Otero County, Products

Testing a home in Otero County

In Otero County, 10.7% of 56 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 Otero County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

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Best radon monitors for Otero County homes, compared

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Otero County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Otero County

Calculated by Radon411

Otero County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Otero County

The Census Bureau estimates 70,368 residents in Otero County for July 1, 2025, 2,500 more than in 2020 (+3.7%). That works out to 11 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Alamogordo, has 31,906 residents, 45.3% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 50.2% of those residents; the other 49.8% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 56 tests over 2006 to 2015, or 0.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where New Mexico as a whole comes to 2.0.

From Alamogordo to Cloudcroft, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Otero County's.

The cities and towns in Otero County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Alamogordo31,906+3.2%45.3%
Tularosa2,662+3.7%3.8%
Cloudcroft757+1.7%1.1%

3 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).

Otero County, Homes

Homes in Otero County

Of Otero County's 32,400 homes, 59% are detached houses, against 65% across New Mexico; 29% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1984, close to New Mexico's 1984: 12% date from before 1960 and 21% from 2000 or later. 65% 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 in Otero County, New Mexico, 2019 to 2023
HomesOtero CountyNew Mexico
Housing units32,400949,524
Detached houses59%65%
In buildings of 5 or more3%10%
Mobile homes29%16%
Built before 196012%17%
Built since 200021%24%
Middle year built19841984
Owner-occupied65%69%

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