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Radon Levels in Sandoval County, New Mexico

EPA puts Sandoval County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 21.4% of its 140 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    21.4%

    7.1 pts below NM

    Sandoval
    21.4%
    New Mexico
    28.5%

    140 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.5pCi/L

    Below action level

    Sandoval
    1.5 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    140

    3rd of 8 by tests

    Sandoval
    140
    Santa Fe
    1,819

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • 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

    6 of 8

    Middle half

    Sandoval
    21.4%
    Taos
    77.1%

    By share, of 8 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Sandoval County

Starts at Sandoval County's median, 1.5 pCi/L

1.5pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.5 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. Sandoval County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Sandoval County, At a glance

Sandoval County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Sandoval 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 53% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Sandoval County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 59%2 to 4 pCi/L: 20%4 pCi/L and above: 21%

Of 140 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Sandoval County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L8258.6%
2 to 4 pCi/L2820.0%
4 pCi/L and above3021.4%
What these figures count

These are the 140 tests reported to CDC for Sandoval 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).

How to read these figures

Sandoval County, Compared

Sandoval County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Sandoval County's 140 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 39.8 pCi/L, and 21.4% reached 4 pCi/L. New Mexico as a whole (29 New Mexico counties, pooled) comes to 28.5%: 7.1 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 6th of 8 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Taos County reported the highest share (77.1%) and Curry County the lowest (3.7%).

Below the action level, 82 tests (58.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 41.3% statewide, and 28 tests (20.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 30.2% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Sandoval County went from 168 tests (2005 to 2014) to 140 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 23.2% to 21.4%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Sandoval County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 53% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 24.3% in Bernalillo County to 38.5% in Los Alamos County.

Sandoval County against New Mexico, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Sandoval County
Sandoval County14021.4%1.5 pCi/LThis county
New Mexico, pooled29 counties, pooled3,72128.5%Not pooled+7.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+14.3 points
Taos Countyhighest in the state8377.1%8.5 pCi/L+55.7 points
Curry Countylowest in the state1353.7%0.6 pCi/L−17.7 points
Cibola County, NMborders it1353.8%5.5 pCi/L+32.4 points
Rio Arriba County, NMborders it1450.0%3.5 pCi/L+28.6 points
Los Alamos County, NMborders it7838.5%3.0 pCi/L+17.1 points
San Juan County, NMborders it5633.9%2.4 pCi/L+12.5 points
Santa Fe County, NMborders it1,81931.2%2.7 pCi/L+9.8 points
McKinley County, NMborders it2227.3%2.2 pCi/L+5.9 points
Bernalillo County, NMborders it1,05224.3%2.1 pCi/L+2.9 points
Where Sandoval County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside New Mexico and the United States
ResultSandoval County testsSandoval County shareNew Mexico shareU.S. shareAgainst New Mexico
Under 2 pCi/L8258.6%41.3%39.6%+17.3 points
2 to 4 pCi/L2820.0%30.2%24.7%−10.2 points
4 pCi/L and above3021.4%28.5%35.7%−7.1 points
Sandoval County ranked among the 8 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Taos County1 of 88377.1%8.5 pCi/L
Los Alamos County2 of 87838.5%3.0 pCi/L
San Juan County3 of 85633.9%2.4 pCi/L
Santa Fe County4 of 81,81931.2%2.7 pCi/L
Bernalillo County5 of 81,05224.3%2.1 pCi/L
Sandoval County6 of 814021.4%1.5 pCi/L
Doña Ana County7 of 810412.5%1.3 pCi/L
Curry County8 of 81353.7%0.6 pCi/L
Sandoval 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 201714021.4%1.5 pCi/L39.8 pCi/L28.5%−1.5 points
2007 to 201615322.9%1.5 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L30.0%−1.8 points
2006 to 201515024.7%2.0 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L30.3%+1.5 points
2005 to 201416823.2%2.0 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L29.7%First on file

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

Sandoval County, Geology

The ground under Sandoval County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map splits Sandoval County: 53.2% of its land is moderate radon potential and 46.8% high. The map puts 28.6% of Sandoval County in the area it calls San Juan Basin and 26.3% in Jemez Mountains, with 3 smaller areas 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 Sandoval County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
San Juan BasinMesozoic marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks including sandstone, siltstone, shale, minor limestone.Moderate1028.6%
Jemez MountainsTertiary volcanic basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyolite, and rhyolitic tuff.High1226.3%
Southern Colorado PlateauCretaceous marine sandstone, shale.Moderate1024.6%
Grants Uranium BeltUpper Creataceous marine shales and uranium-bearing Jurassic fluvial sandstones of the Grants uranium belt.High1217.8%
Rocky Mountains (southern extension)Sandstone, siltstone, shale, volcanic sediments, and valley-fill alluvium.High122.7%

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

Sandoval County beside the ground around it

Sandoval County has more high-potential ground than New Mexico as a whole: 46.8% of its land against 19.2%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Los Alamos County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Sandoval County, the 7 counties bordering it and New Mexico
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Sandoval CountyZone 2None53.2%46.8%
Bernalillo CountyZone 1None67.7%32.3%
Los Alamos CountyZone 2NoneNone100%
Santa Fe CountyZone 1None31.1%68.9%
Cibola CountyZone 2None78.9%21.1%
Rio Arriba CountyZone 1None62.1%37.9%
McKinley CountyZone 2None67.3%32.7%
San Juan CountyZone 2None81.8%18.2%
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

Sandoval County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Sandoval 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

Sandoval County, Questions

Questions about radon in Sandoval County

Are radon levels high in Sandoval County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 21.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Sandoval County, New Mexico were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.5 pCi/L. Of 8 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 5 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 28.5%.

Which counties border Sandoval County?

Sandoval County borders 7 counties: Bernalillo County, Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, Cibola County, Rio Arriba County, McKinley County and San Juan County.

Products

Sandoval County, Products

Testing a home in Sandoval County

In Sandoval County, 21.4% of 140 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 28.5% pooled across New Mexico. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Sandoval County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Sandoval County homes, compared

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Sandoval County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Sandoval County

Calculated by Radon411

Sandoval County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Sandoval County

Sandoval County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 159,565 residents on July 1, 2025, up 6.9% from 149,271 in 2020. That works out to 43 people per square mile of land. Rio Rancho, the largest place on its list (114,419 residents in all), extends beyond Sandoval County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 140 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where New Mexico as a whole comes to 1.8.

From Rio Rancho to San Ysidro, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Sandoval County's.

The cities and towns in Sandoval County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Rio Ranchoextends beyond Sandoval County114,419+9.5%Counted whole
Bernalillo9,159+1.7%5.7%
Corrales8,484−0.2%5.3%
Edgewoodextends beyond Sandoval County6,157−0.4%Counted whole
Cuba640+1.6%0.4%
Jemez Springs205+1.5%0.1%
San Ysidro169+1.2%0.1%

7 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). A place that extends beyond Sandoval County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Sandoval County, Homes

Homes in Sandoval County

Sandoval County is a place of houses on their own lots: 84% of its 59,759 homes are detached single-family houses, against 65% across New Mexico. Much of Sandoval County is recent building: 42% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1996, against 1984 for New Mexico. Owners live in 84% of the occupied homes (New Mexico: 69%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Sandoval County, New Mexico, 2019 to 2023
HomesSandoval CountyNew Mexico
Housing units59,759949,524
Detached houses84%65%
In buildings of 5 or more4%10%
Mobile homes7%16%
Built before 19604%17%
Built since 200042%24%
Middle year built19961984
Owner-occupied84%69%

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