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Radon Levels in Orange County, New York

EPA puts Orange County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 3 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    30.6%

    6.1 pts above NY

    Orange
    30.6%
    New York
    24.5%

    2,790 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.2pCi/L

    Below action level

    Orange
    2.2 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    2,790

    9th of 61 by tests

    Orange
    2,790
    Erie
    13,822

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in New York

    21 of 61

    Middle half

    Orange
    30.6%
    Chemung
    52.3%

    By share, of 61 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Orange County

Starts at Orange County's median, 2.2 pCi/L

2.2pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.2 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 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 between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Orange County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Orange County, At a glance

Orange County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Orange County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Orange County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Orange County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Orange County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201423.3%
201525.0%
201628.9%
201740.6%
201852.9%
201927.6%
202053.3%
20210.0%
202366.7%

2023: 66.7%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 66.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 3 tests were reported to CDC for Orange 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).

How to read these figures

Orange County, Compared

Orange County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Orange County, about 3 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (854 of 2,790) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 5.1 points lower. Across 62 New York counties pooled together, 24.5% of tests reached that level, so Orange County runs 6.1 points above its state.

The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 3 tests (66.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 2,790-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 14.6% (Rockland County) to 40.8% (Dutchess County). By share, Orange County is 21st of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Year by year, 2014 opened at 23.3% and 2018 closed at 52.9% (up 29.6 points), with 2018 the high at 52.9%. Half the tests came in under 2.2 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 105.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 1,291 tests (46.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.7% statewide, and 645 tests (23.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.7% statewide.

Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 30.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential. CDC also counts 119 tests taken after mitigation in Orange County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

The busiest year on file was 2014, with 73 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 3.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Orange County against New York2014 to 2018, years with 30 or more tests: Orange County 23.3% to 52.9%, the state's pooled share 26.9% in 2018.
Orange CountyNew York, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Orange County against New York: data table
YearTestsOrange County, at or above 4 pCi/LNew York, pooled
20147323.3%16.6%
20155225.0%21.4%
20164528.9%20.4%
20173240.6%31.6%
20183452.9%26.9%
Orange County against New York, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Orange County
Orange County2,79030.6%2.2 pCi/LThis county
New York, pooled62 counties, pooled97,14524.5%Not pooled−6.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+5.1 points
Chemung Countyhighest in the state1,53752.3%4.3 pCi/L+21.7 points
Bronx Countylowest in the state1853.2%0.5 pCi/L−27.4 points
Dutchess County, NYborders it2,13340.8%3.0 pCi/L+10.2 points
Pike County, PAborders it39040.3%3.0 pCi/L+9.7 points
Ulster County, NYborders it3,59429.8%2.2 pCi/L−0.8 points
Putnam County, NYborders it1,02024.7%1.9 pCi/L−5.9 points
Sullivan County, NYborders it25719.8%1.3 pCi/L−10.8 points
Rockland County, NYborders it82414.6%1.5 pCi/L−16.0 points
Where Orange County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside New York and the United States
ResultOrange County testsOrange County shareNew York shareU.S. shareAgainst New York
Under 2 pCi/L1,29146.3%51.7%39.6%−5.4 points
2 to 4 pCi/L64523.1%23.7%24.7%−0.6 points
4 pCi/L and above85430.6%24.5%35.7%+6.1 points
Orange County ranked among the 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Genesee County16 of 6131734.7%2.6 pCi/L
Madison County17 of 6197934.6%2.6 pCi/L
Oneida County18 of 612,05134.6%2.5 pCi/L
Chenango County19 of 6196133.4%2.6 pCi/L
Ontario County20 of 611,44832.8%2.6 pCi/L
Orange County21 of 612,79030.6%2.2 pCi/L
Ulster County22 of 613,59429.8%2.2 pCi/L
Rensselaer County23 of 611,57729.5%2.1 pCi/L
Onondaga County24 of 619,11428.4%2.0 pCi/L
Tompkins County25 of 613,37228.0%2.3 pCi/L
Cayuga County26 of 6172627.8%2.1 pCi/L
Orange County radon tests by year, against New York's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNew York, pooledChange from the row before
2023366.7%9.8 pCi/L24.0 pCi/L32.0%+66.7 points
202130.0%1.2 pCi/L1.3 pCi/L18.9%−53.3 points
20201553.3%5.8 pCi/L25.3 pCi/L22.7%+25.7 points
20192927.6%1.7 pCi/L10.1 pCi/L28.0%−25.3 points
20183452.9%4.3 pCi/L18.1 pCi/L26.9%+12.3 points
20173240.6%2.6 pCi/L198.8 pCi/L31.6%+11.7 points
20164528.9%2.4 pCi/L55.6 pCi/L20.4%+3.9 points
20155225.0%2.0 pCi/L46.1 pCi/L21.4%+1.7 points
20147323.3%1.2 pCi/L41.2 pCi/L16.6%First on file

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

Orange County, State data

New York's own radon test data

Measured

What New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Orange 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 Orange 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

31.9%

Average result

6.2 pCi/L

Tests behind these figures

40.8 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.

Orange County, Geology

The ground under Orange County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Orange County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 56.1% of Orange County in the area it calls Valley and Ridge and 19.1% in Hudson Highlands, with 4 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12 and the second 13, both in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Orange County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Valley and RidgeMarine shelf sequence with basal Cambrian sandstones and conglomerates, shales, and limestones.High1256.1%
Hudson HighlandsAmphibolitic gneiss, quartz-poor gneisses, and marbles.High1319.1%
Green Pond OutlierConglomerate, sandstone, shale, glacial depositsHigh1513.0%
Allegheny PlateauShale, limestone, and sandstone.High128.7%
HighlandsGlacial deposits, granite, pegmatites, and gneiss.High152.1%
New England-Taconic MountainsSlate, phyllite, graywacke, and limestone.High120.9%

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

Orange County beside the ground around it

Orange County has more high-potential ground than New York as a whole: 100% of its land against 48.9%. Of the 8 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Ulster County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Orange County, the 8 counties bordering it and New York
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Orange CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Rockland CountyZone 356.1%8.1%35.8%
Passaic County, NJZone 235.7%None64.3%
Sussex County, NJZone 1None19.4%80.6%
Putnam CountyZone 1None3.4%96.6%
Sullivan CountyZone 1None0.2%99.8%
Ulster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Pike County, PAZone 2None94.1%5.9%
Dutchess CountyZone 1None0.4%99.6%
New York62 counties, pooled by land areaVaries22.0%28.2%48.9%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Orange County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Orange County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Orange County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Newburgh, Walden, Warwick

What New York's program says
Phone
518-402-7556
Email
radon@health.ny.gov
Licensing of radon professionals
NYS does not certify or license radon testers.

What it means

Orange County, Questions

Questions about radon in Orange County

Are radon levels high in Orange County?

In 2023, 66.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Orange County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 9.8 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 20 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.

Which counties border Orange County?

Orange County borders 8 counties: Rockland County, NY, Passaic County, NJ, Sussex County, NJ, Putnam County, NY, Sullivan County, NY, Ulster County, NY, Pike County, PA and Dutchess County, NY.

Products

Orange County, Products

Testing a home in Orange County

In Orange County, 30.6% of 2,790 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 Orange 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

Orange County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Orange County

Explore

Orange County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Orange County

Calculated by Radon411

Orange County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Orange County

The Census Bureau estimates 417,669 residents in Orange County for July 1, 2025, 16,696 more than in 2020 (+4.2%). That works out to 514 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Kiryas Joel, the largest, has 47,147 residents, 11.3% of the total. Together its 22 incorporated places hold 45.9% of those residents; the other 54.1% live outside any of them. CDC's 2,790 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 6.7 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to New York's 4.9.

From Kiryas Joel to Tuxedo Park, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Orange County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Orange County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Kiryas Joel47,147+40.7%11.3%
Middletown30,098−0.6%7.2%
Newburgh28,059−2.5%6.7%
Woodbury11,571+0.4%2.8%
Monroe9,462−0.2%2.3%
Port Jervis8,518−2.5%2.0%
Walden6,935+1.0%1.7%
Warwick6,534−1.8%1.6%
Goshen5,744+0.2%1.4%
Washingtonville5,640−1.2%1.4%
Chester3,991−2.3%1.0%
South Blooming Grove3,810−2.0%0.9%
  • Montgomery
  • Highland Falls
  • Maybrook
  • Cornwall-on-Hudson
  • Greenwood Lake
  • Florida
  • Harriman
  • Otisville
  • Unionville
  • Tuxedo Park

22 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).

Orange County, Homes

Homes in Orange County

Of Orange County's 148,460 homes, 62% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 17% are in buildings of five or more homes. Much of Orange County is recent building: 20% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1975, against 1958 for New York. 68% 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 in Orange County, New York, 2019 to 2023
HomesOrange CountyNew York
Housing units148,4608,539,536
Detached houses62%41%
In buildings of 5 or more17%34%
Mobile homes2%2%
Built before 196034%53%
Built since 200020%12%
Middle year built19751958
Owner-occupied68%54%

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