Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in New York County, New York
EPA puts New York County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 5 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
7.8%
17.1 pts below NY
- New York
- 7.8%
- New York
- 24.9%
793 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
0.2pCi/L
Below action level
- New York
- 0.2 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
793
30th of 61 by tests
- New York
- 793
- Erie
- 12,998
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in New York
56 of 61
Lowest quarter
- New York
- 7.8%
- Chemung
- 51.7%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for New York County
Starts at New York County's median, 0.2 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.2 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. New York County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.
The data
New York County, At a glance
New York County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 84% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for New York County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 14.3% |
| 2015 | 42.9% |
| 2016 | 42.9% |
| 2017 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 20.0% |
| 2020 | 50.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0% |
2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 50.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 5 tests were reported to CDC for New York 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).
New York County, Compared
New York County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411New York County reports fewer high tests than New York overall. 7.8% of its 793 tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 17.1 points below the 24.9% pooled from 62 New York counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 5 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 793-test figure.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 56th of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.8%; New York County sits 28.0 points below it.
Next door, the shares run from 2.3% in Bronx County to 7.8% in Kings County, with Queens County and Bronx County below New York County. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 7.8% share point the same way here.
Half the tests came in under 0.2 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 83.3 pCi/L. The rest split 83.6% under 2 pCi/L and 8.6% from 2 to 4 (New York: 51.6% and 23.5%).
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 8 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
New York County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in New York 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 New York 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
21.9%
Average result
6.1 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
6.4 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.
New York County, Geology
The ground under New York County
PredictedMost of the ground under New York County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 84.1% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 2.5% low. The map puts 84.1% of New York County in the area it calls Manhattan Prong and 1.4% in Northern Piedmont, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 8, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Prong | Gneiss, amphibolite, quartzite, marble, schist, diorite. | Moderate | 9 | 84.1% |
| Northern Piedmont | Sandstone, conglomerate, basalt, and shale. | Low | 8 | 1.4% |
| Atlantic Coastal Plain | Glacial deposits and marine sediments. | Low | 7 | 1.2% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
New York County beside the ground around it
Across New York 48.9% of the land is rated high; none of New York County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Bergen County, NJ the most at 2.6%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
New York County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in New York 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.
Listed radon professionals by town: 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
New York County, Questions
Questions about radon in New York County
Are radon levels high in New York County?
In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for New York County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.3 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 55 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.9%.
Which counties border New York County?
New York County borders 5 counties: Hudson County, NJ, Kings County, NY, Bronx County, NY, Bergen County, NJ and Queens County, NY.
Products
New York County, Products
Testing a home in New York County
In New York County, 7.8% of 793 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.9% pooled across New York. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in New York County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011S rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 12 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
New York County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering New York County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Kings County, NYEPA zone 3
7.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.7 pCi/L · 681 tests · 0.0 points above New York County
- Radon levels in Queens County, NYEPA zone 3
5.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 408 tests · 2.7 points below New York County
- Radon levels in Bronx County, NYEPA zone 3
2.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.5 pCi/L · 176 tests · 5.5 points below New York County
- Radon levels in Hudson County, NJEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2007 to 2016; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Bergen County, NJEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2007 to 2016; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
New York County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in New York County
About 1,664,862 people live in New York County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 22,171 fewer than in 2020 (−1.3%). Packed into its land, that is 73,484 people per square mile. New York, the largest place on its list (8,584,629 residents in all), extends beyond New York County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 793 tests over 2007 to 2016, or 0.5 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where New York as a whole comes to 4.6.
New York is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads New York County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Yorkextends beyond New York County | 8,584,629 | −1.9% | Counted whole |
One incorporated place, 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 New York County is counted whole, so it has no share.
New York County, Homes
Homes in New York County
New York County has 918,806 homes, and many share a building: 95% are in buildings of five or more, 1% are detached houses, against 41% across New York. Half of its homes were built before 1951, close to New York's 1958: 58% date from before 1960 and 11% from 2000 or later. Most occupied homes here are rented: owners live in 25% (New York: 54%). A tenant can run a test; a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | New York County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 918,806 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 1% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 95% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | under 1% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 58% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 11% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1951 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 25% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.