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 Otsego County, New York
EPA puts Otsego County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 19 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
37.6%
13.1 pts above NY
- Otsego
- 37.6%
- New York
- 24.5%
1,452 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Otsego
- 2.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,452
19th of 61 by tests
- Otsego
- 1,452
- 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
15 of 61
Top quarter
- Otsego
- 37.6%
- Chemung
- 52.3%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Otsego County
Starts at Otsego County's median, 2.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.8 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. Otsego County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Otsego County, At a glance
Otsego County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Otsego County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 98% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Otsego County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 38.8% |
| 2015 | 40.0% |
| 2016 | 34.0% |
| 2017 | 45.5% |
| 2018 | 32.9% |
| 2019 | 31.1% |
| 2020 | 40.4% |
| 2021 | 60.9% |
| 2022 | 40.0% |
| 2023 | 26.3% |
2023: 26.3%. Across these years the share ran from 26.3% to 60.9%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 19 tests were reported to CDC for Otsego 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).
Otsego County, Compared
Otsego County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Otsego County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (546 of 1,452) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.9 points higher. Across 62 New York counties pooled together, 24.5% of tests reached that level, so Otsego County runs 13.1 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 19 tests (26.3% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,452-test figure.
Of 7 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 6 a smaller one; the spread is 14.7% (Montgomery County) to 41.5% (Herkimer County). By share, Otsego County is 15th of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 38.8% and 2022 closed at 40.0% (about level), with 2017 the high at 45.5%. Half the tests came in under 2.8 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 137.4 pCi/L. Below the action level, 553 tests (38.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.7% statewide, and 353 tests (24.3%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.7% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 37.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 98% of the county's land high radon potential. CDC also counts 14 tests taken after mitigation in Otsego County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2017, with 176 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 19.
Otsego CountyNew York, pooled
40.0% % of tests22.4% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Otsego County, at or above 4 pCi/L | New York, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 67 | 38.8% | 16.6% |
| 2015 | 40 | 40.0% | 21.4% |
| 2016 | 100 | 34.0% | 20.4% |
| 2017 | 176 | 45.5% | 31.6% |
| 2018 | 79 | 32.9% | 26.9% |
| 2019 | 90 | 31.1% | 28.0% |
| 2020 | 109 | 40.4% | 22.7% |
| 2022 | 90 | 40.0% | 22.4% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Otsego County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Otsego 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 Otsego 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
36.6%
Average result
4.7 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
102.2 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.
Otsego County, Geology
The ground under Otsego County
PredictedMost of the ground under Otsego County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 98.4% of its land is high radon potential, with 1.6% moderate. 98.4% of it lies in the area the map calls Allegheny Plateau, to which USGS gives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Plateau | Shale, limestone, and sandstone. | High | 12 | 98.4% |
| Hudson-Mohawk Lowland | Sandstone, siltstone, shale, and conglomerates. | Moderate | 11 | 1.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Otsego County beside the ground around it
Otsego County has more high-potential ground than New York as a whole: 98.4% of its land against 48.9%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Chenango County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Otsego County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Otsego County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Otsego 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: Oneonta
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
Otsego County, Questions
Questions about radon in Otsego County
Are radon levels high in Otsego County?
In 2023, 26.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Otsego County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.6 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 14 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.
Which counties border Otsego County?
Otsego County borders 7 counties: Schoharie County, Delaware County, Chenango County, Montgomery County, Madison County, Oneida County and Herkimer County.
Products
Otsego County, Products
Testing a home in Otsego County
In Otsego County, 37.6% of 1,452 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 Otsego 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
Monitor
RadonScan-Plus USB-powered radon monitor with Wi-Fi
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- Alarm
- Screen, app
First reading: Within 5 minutes
Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
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
Otsego County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Otsego County
Explore
Otsego County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Otsego County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Herkimer CountyEPA zone 3
41.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 337 tests · 3.9 points above Otsego County
- Radon levels in Madison CountyEPA zone 1
34.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 979 tests · 3.0 points below Otsego County
- Radon levels in Oneida CountyEPA zone 2
34.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 2,051 tests · 3.0 points below Otsego County
- Radon levels in Chenango CountyEPA zone 1
33.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 961 tests · 4.2 points below Otsego County
- Radon levels in Delaware CountyEPA zone 1
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1,001 tests · 10.0 points below Otsego County
- Radon levels in Schoharie CountyEPA zone 1
21.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.7 pCi/L · 504 tests · 15.8 points below Otsego County
- Radon levels in Montgomery CountyEPA zone 2
14.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 252 tests · 22.9 points below Otsego County
Otsego County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Otsego County
The Census Bureau estimates 60,589 residents in Otsego County for July 1, 2025, 2,200 more than in 2020 (+3.8%). That works out to 60 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Oneonta, has 15,665 residents, 25.9% of the total. Together its 10 incorporated places hold 37.2% of those residents; the other 62.8% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,452 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 24.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 4.9 for New York.
From Oneonta to Laurens, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Otsego County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneonta | 15,665 | +19.9% | 25.9% |
| Cooperstown | 1,840 | −0.8% | 3.0% |
| Richfield Springs | 1,092 | −0.6% | 1.8% |
| Unadilla | 1,091 | −0.5% | 1.8% |
| Otego | 903 | −3.3% | 1.5% |
| Morris | 513 | −1.0% | 0.8% |
| Cherry Valley | 477 | −0.6% | 0.8% |
| Milford | 387 | −0.5% | 0.6% |
| Gilbertsville | 326 | −0.6% | 0.5% |
| Laurens | 216 | −0.5% | 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).
Otsego County, Homes
Homes in Otsego County
Of Otsego County's 30,011 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 11% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1954, close to New York's 1958: 55% date from before 1960 and 11% from 2000 or later. 74% 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 | Otsego County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 30,011 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 68% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | 11% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 55% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 11% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1954 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.