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 Cayuga County, New York
EPA puts Cayuga County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 26 radon tests from it are 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
27.8%
3.3 pts above NY
- Cayuga
- 27.8%
- New York
- 24.5%
726 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Cayuga
- 2.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
726
34th of 61 by tests
- Cayuga
- 726
- 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
26 of 61
Middle half
- Cayuga
- 27.8%
- Chemung
- 52.3%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Cayuga County
Starts at Cayuga County's median, 2.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.1 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. Cayuga County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Cayuga County, At a glance
Cayuga County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Cayuga County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 61% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Cayuga County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 33.3% |
| 2015 | 26.7% |
| 2016 | 18.0% |
| 2017 | 18.0% |
| 2018 | 33.8% |
| 2019 | 24.6% |
| 2020 | 27.0% |
| 2021 | 22.2% |
| 2022 | 25.0% |
| 2023 | 19.2% |
2023: 19.2%. Across these years the share ran from 18.0% to 33.8%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 26 tests were reported to CDC for Cayuga 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).
Cayuga County, Compared
Cayuga County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Cayuga County's 726 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.1 pCi/L and a maximum of 292.4 pCi/L, and 27.8% reached 4 pCi/L. New York as a whole (62 New York counties, pooled) comes to 24.5%: 3.3 points lower than here.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 26 tests (19.2% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 726-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 26th of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Chemung County reported the highest share (52.3%) and Bronx County the lowest (3.2%).
Below the action level, 341 tests (47.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.7% statewide, and 183 tests (25.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.7% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2017, with 167 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 9.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Cayuga County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 61% of the county's land high radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 15.2% in Oswego County to 51.0% in Cortland County, with Wayne County, Seneca County and Oswego County below Cayuga County. Over 7 years of annual figures the share fell 6.3 points, from 33.3% in 2014 to 27.0% in 2020; its peak was 33.8% in 2018.
CDC also counts 50 tests taken after mitigation in Cayuga County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Cayuga CountyNew York, pooled
| Year | Tests | Cayuga County, at or above 4 pCi/L | New York, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 120 | 33.3% | 16.6% |
| 2015 | 105 | 26.7% | 21.4% |
| 2016 | 50 | 18.0% | 20.4% |
| 2017 | 167 | 18.0% | 31.6% |
| 2018 | 133 | 33.8% | 26.9% |
| 2019 | 57 | 24.6% | 28.0% |
| 2020 | 37 | 27.0% | 22.7% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Cayuga County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Cayuga 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 Cayuga 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
24%
Average result
3.6 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
104.8 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.
Cayuga County, Geology
The ground under Cayuga County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Cayuga County: 60.8% of its land is high radon potential and 39.0% moderate. The map puts 60.8% of Cayuga County in the area it calls Allegheny Plateau and 39.0% in Erie-Ontario Lowland. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 9, 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 | 60.8% |
| Erie-Ontario Lowland | Limestone, dolomite, shale, sandstone, and salt deposits. | Moderate | 9 | 39.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Cayuga County beside the ground around it
Cayuga County has more high-potential ground than New York as a whole: 60.8% of its land against 48.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Cortland County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Cayuga County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Cayuga 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
Cayuga County, Questions
Questions about radon in Cayuga County
Are radon levels high in Cayuga County?
In 2023, 19.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cayuga County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.9 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 25 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.
Which counties border Cayuga County?
Cayuga County borders 6 counties: Onondaga County, Seneca County, Wayne County, Oswego County, Tompkins County and Cortland County.
Products
Cayuga County, Products
Testing a home in Cayuga County
In Cayuga County, 27.8% of 726 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 Cayuga 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
MonitorAranet
Radon One battery digital radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Cayuga County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Cayuga County
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Cayuga County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Cayuga County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Cortland CountyEPA zone 1
51.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.1 pCi/L · 788 tests · 23.2 points above Cayuga County
- Radon levels in Onondaga CountyEPA zone 1
28.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 9,114 tests · 0.6 points above Cayuga County
- Radon levels in Tompkins CountyEPA zone 1
28.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 3,372 tests · 0.2 points above Cayuga County
- Radon levels in Wayne CountyEPA zone 2
26.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 793 tests · 0.9 points below Cayuga County
- Radon levels in Seneca CountyEPA zone 1
21.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 319 tests · 6.5 points below Cayuga County
- Radon levels in Oswego CountyEPA zone 2
15.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 778 tests · 12.6 points below Cayuga County
Cayuga County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Cayuga County
About 74,365 people live in Cayuga County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 1,742 fewer than in 2020 (−2.3%). That works out to 108 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Auburn, has 25,947 residents, 34.9% of the total. Together its 10 incorporated places hold 45.3% of those residents; the other 54.7% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 726 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 9.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 4.9 for New York.
From Auburn to Meridian, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cayuga County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 25,947 | −3.4% | 34.9% |
| Weedsport | 1,760 | −2.9% | 2.4% |
| Moravia | 1,233 | −3.1% | 1.7% |
| Port Byron | 1,215 | +10.0% | 1.6% |
| Union Springs | 1,057 | −2.6% | 1.4% |
| Fair Haven | 770 | −2.5% | 1.0% |
| Cayuga | 551 | +13.1% | 0.7% |
| Cato | 517 | −3.7% | 0.7% |
| Aurora | 329 | −46.7% | 0.4% |
| Meridian | 285 | −1.4% | 0.4% |
10 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).
Cayuga County, Homes
Homes in Cayuga County
Of Cayuga County's 36,768 homes, 67% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 9% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1958, close to New York's 1958: 51% date from before 1960 and 11% from 2000 or later. 72% 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 | Cayuga County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 36,768 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 67% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 8% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | 9% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 51% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 11% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1958 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.