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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Taos County, New Mexico
EPA puts Taos County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 77.1% of the 83 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
77.1%
48.6 pts above NM
- Taos
- 77.1%
- New Mexico
- 28.5%
83 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
8.5pCi/L
Action level reached
- Taos
- 8.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
83
6th of 8 by tests
- Taos
- 83
- Santa Fe
- 1,819
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in New Mexico
1 of 8
Top quarter
- Taos
- 77.1%
- Taos
- 77.1%
By share, of 8 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Taos County
Starts at Taos County's median, 8.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 8.5 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Taos County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Taos County, At a glance
Taos County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Taos County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 92% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Taos County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 11%2 to 4 pCi/L: 12%4 pCi/L and above: 77%
Of 83 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 9 | 10.8% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 10 | 12.0% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 64 | 77.1% |
What these figures count
These are the 83 tests reported to CDC for Taos 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).
Taos County, Compared
Taos County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 77.1% of the 83 radon tests reported to CDC for Taos County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 1st of 8 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 48.6 points above the 28.5% pooled from 29 New Mexico counties.
The median result, 8.5 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 29.1 pCi/L. The rest split 10.8% under 2 pCi/L and 12.0% from 2 to 4 (New Mexico: 41.3% and 30.2%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 77.1% share point the same way here.
Statewide for the same period, Los Alamos County reported the highest share (38.5%) and Curry County the lowest (3.7%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Taos County went from 91 tests (2005 to 2014) to 83 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 69.2% to 77.1%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Taos County sits 41.4 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Taos County, Geology
The ground under Taos County
PredictedMost of the ground under Taos County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 91.9% of its land is high radon potential, with 8.1% moderate. The map puts 48.5% of Taos County in the area it calls Jemez Mountains and 43.4% in Rocky Mountains (southern extension), with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jemez Mountains | Tertiary volcanic basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyolite, and rhyolitic tuff. | High | 12 | 48.5% |
| Rocky Mountains (southern extension) | Sandstone, siltstone, shale, volcanic sediments, and valley-fill alluvium. | High | 12 | 43.4% |
| San Juan Volcanic field | Volcanic rocks, rhyolite, tuff, basalt | Moderate | 11 | 7.6% |
| Southern Great Plains | Cretaceous sedimentary rocks including sandstone and shale. | Moderate | 10 | 0.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Taos County beside the ground around it
Taos County has more high-potential ground than New Mexico as a whole: 91.9% of its land against 19.2%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Costilla County, CO comes nearest at 38.6%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Taos County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Taos 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
Taos County, Questions
Questions about radon in Taos County
Are radon levels high in Taos County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 77.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Taos County, New Mexico were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 8.5 pCi/L. Of 8 New Mexico counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, none reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 28.5%.
Which counties border Taos County?
Taos County borders 5 counties: Mora County, NM, Colfax County, NM, Costilla County, CO, Conejos County, CO and Rio Arriba County, NM.
Products
Taos County, Products
Testing a home in Taos County
In Taos County, 77.1% of 83 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 28.5% pooled across New Mexico. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Taos County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitorMonitorSafetySiren
Pro4 plug-in radon detector with a display and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 48 hours
Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Taos County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Taos County
Explore
Taos County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Taos County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Rio Arriba County, NMEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 14 tests · 27.1 points below Taos County
- Radon levels in Colfax County, NMEPA zone 1
40.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 15 tests · 37.1 points below Taos County
- Radon levels in Costilla County, COEPA zone 2
36.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 11 tests · 40.7 points below Taos County
- Radon levels in Mora County, NMEPA zone 1
25.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 4 tests · 52.1 points below Taos County
- Radon levels in Conejos County, COEPA zone 2
15.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 13 tests · 61.7 points below Taos County
Taos County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Taos County
Taos County's population has barely moved since 2020: 34,564 residents on July 1, 2025 against 34,459 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 16 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Taos, the largest, has 6,526 residents, 18.9% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 25.9% of those residents; the other 74.1% live outside any of them. CDC's 83 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 2.4 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to New Mexico's 1.8.
From Taos to Taos Ski Valley, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Taos County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taos | 6,526 | −0.4% | 18.9% |
| Questa | 1,809 | +0.7% | 5.2% |
| Red River | 538 | −0.6% | 1.6% |
| Taos Ski Valley | 81 | +2.5% | 0.2% |
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).
Taos County, Homes
Homes in Taos County
Of Taos County's 21,091 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 65% across New Mexico; 14% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1983, close to New Mexico's 1984: 19% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (New Mexico: 69%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Taos County | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 21,091 | 949,524 |
| Detached houses | 70% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 7% | 10% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 16% |
| Built before 1960 | 19% | 17% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1983 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 79% | 69% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.