Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Cattaraugus County, New York
EPA puts Cattaraugus County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
40.6%
16.1 pts above NY
- Cattaraugus
- 40.6%
- New York
- 24.5%
599 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.0pCi/L
Below action level
- Cattaraugus
- 3.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
599
37th of 61 by tests
- Cattaraugus
- 599
- Erie
- 13,822
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 York
8 of 61
Top quarter
- Cattaraugus
- 40.6%
- Chemung
- 52.3%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Cattaraugus County
Starts at Cattaraugus County's median, 3.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.0 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Cattaraugus County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Cattaraugus County, At a glance
Cattaraugus County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Cattaraugus County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 75% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Cattaraugus County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 42.9% |
| 2015 | 33.3% |
| 2016 | 45.8% |
| 2017 | 47.4% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 42.9% |
| 2020 | 12.5% |
| 2023 | 100.0% |
2023: 100.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Cattaraugus County over 2023, 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: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Cattaraugus County, Compared
Cattaraugus County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Cattaraugus County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (243 of 599) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 4.9 points higher. Across 62 New York counties pooled together, 24.5% of tests reached that level, so Cattaraugus County runs 16.1 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 1 test (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 599-test figure.
Of 6 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 18.2% (Erie County) to 54.6% (Warren County, PA). By share, Cattaraugus County is 8th of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.0 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 248.9 pCi/L. Below the action level, 197 tests (32.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.7% statewide, and 159 tests (26.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.7% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 40.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 75% of the county's land high radon potential. CDC also counts 67 tests taken after mitigation in Cattaraugus County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 42 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Cattaraugus County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Cattaraugus County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.
MeasuredState figures, not CDC's
What the New York State Department of Health reports for Cattaraugus County
Indoor air radon testing data (Environmental Public Health Tracker): short-term charcoal canister tests requested through the NYSDOH Radon Program, presented as five-year rolling averages. Period: 2015-2019. The publisher also lists 15 earlier periods.
Share at or above 4 pCi/L
35.4%
Average result
5.4 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
19.8 tests a year on average
- Every figure is a five-year rolling average: the average result is the rolling average of each year's mean, and the test count is an average per year.
- The data only include tests requested through the NYSDOH Radon Program, and therefore may not capture all radon tests performed in a county.
- The data include both screening tests and post-mitigation tests, as it is not always possible to tell them apart.
- Radon testing by homeowners is optional in New York, so the values may not be representative of every home in the county.
- These figures describe tests reported to the New York State Department of Health in this area. They count a different set of tests than CDC's figures and are not a reading of any one home.
Measured: New York State Department of Health data, 2015-2019.
Cattaraugus County, Geology
The ground under Cattaraugus County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Cattaraugus County: 74.7% of its land is high radon potential and 25.3% moderate. The map puts 74.7% of Cattaraugus County in the area it calls Allegheny Plateau and 25.3% in Allegheny Plateau. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Plateau | Shale, limestone, and sandstone. | High | 12 | 74.7% |
| Allegheny Plateau | Shale, limestone, and sandstone. | Moderate | 10 | 25.3% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Cattaraugus County beside the ground around it
Cattaraugus County has more high-potential ground than New York as a whole: 74.7% of its land against 48.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Wyoming County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Cattaraugus County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Cattaraugus County
- Radon ProgramRadon Program, run by New York State Department of Health, does not license radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in New York.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Providing patients with information about how low-cost test kits may be obtained from the Radon Program.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in New York88 professionals are listed in New York.
What New York's program says
- Phone
- 518-402-7556
- radon@health.ny.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
NYS does not certify or license radon testers.
What it means
Cattaraugus County, Questions
Questions about radon in Cattaraugus County
Are radon levels high in Cattaraugus County?
In 2023, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cattaraugus County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 17.5 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 7 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.
Which counties border Cattaraugus County?
Cattaraugus County borders 6 counties: McKean County, PA, Allegany County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY, Erie County, NY, Wyoming County, NY and Warren County, PA.
Products
Cattaraugus County, Products
Testing a home in Cattaraugus County
In Cattaraugus County, 40.6% of 599 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.5% pooled across New York. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Cattaraugus 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 monitor
MonitorX-Sense
XR0B-SR battery digital radon monitor with an alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Cattaraugus County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Cattaraugus County
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Cattaraugus County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Cattaraugus County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Warren County, PAEPA zone 2
54.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.4 pCi/L · 412 tests · 14.0 points above Cattaraugus County
- Radon levels in Allegany County, NYEPA zone 1
42.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.9 pCi/L · 383 tests · 2.0 points above Cattaraugus County
- Radon levels in Wyoming County, NYEPA zone 1
39.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 338 tests · 1.3 points below Cattaraugus County
- Radon levels in Chautauqua County, NYEPA zone 1
38.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 994 tests · 2.6 points below Cattaraugus County
- Radon levels in McKean County, PAEPA zone 2
26.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 174 tests · 14.2 points below Cattaraugus County
- Radon levels in Erie County, NYEPA zone 1
18.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.5 pCi/L · 13,822 tests · 22.4 points below Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Cattaraugus County
About 75,390 people live in Cattaraugus County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 1,587 fewer than in 2020 (−2.1%). That works out to 58 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Olean, the largest, has 13,508 residents, 17.9% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 599 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 7.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 4.9 for New York.
From Olean to Ellicottville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cattaraugus County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olean | 13,508 | −2.8% | 17.9% |
| Salamanca | 5,719 | −3.6% | 7.6% |
| Gowandaextends beyond Cattaraugus County | 2,444 | −2.6% | Counted whole |
| Franklinville | 1,632 | −4.1% | 2.2% |
| Allegany | 1,615 | −1.4% | 2.1% |
| Little Valley | 1,077 | +0.7% | 1.4% |
| Delevan | 1,023 | −3.5% | 1.4% |
| Cattaraugus | 951 | −3.9% | 1.3% |
| Portville | 875 | −4.0% | 1.2% |
| South Dayton | 545 | −3.5% | 0.7% |
| Ellicottville | 283 | Level | 0.4% |
11 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 Cattaraugus County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Cattaraugus County, Homes
Homes in Cattaraugus County
Of Cattaraugus County's 40,279 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 11% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1961, close to New York's 1958: 50% date from before 1960 and 10% from 2000 or later. 75% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (New York: 54%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Cattaraugus County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 40,279 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 70% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | 11% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 50% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 10% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1961 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 75% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.