Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Queens County, New York
EPA puts Queens County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 11 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
5.3%
19.2 pts below NY
- Queens
- 5.3%
- New York
- 24.5%
419 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
0.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Queens
- 0.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
419
43rd of 61 by tests
- Queens
- 419
- Erie
- 13,822
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
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
59 of 61
Lowest quarter
- Queens
- 5.3%
- Chemung
- 52.3%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Queens County
Starts at Queens County's median, 0.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.8 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. Queens County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Queens County, At a glance
Queens County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 86% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Queens County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 33.3% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 9.1% |
2023: 9.1%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 33.3%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 11 tests were reported to CDC for Queens 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).
Queens County, Compared
Queens County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Queens County reports fewer high tests than New York overall. 5.3% of its 419 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 19.2 points below the 24.5% pooled from 62 New York counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 11 tests (9.1% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 419-test figure.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 59th 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 35.7%; Queens County sits 30.4 points below it.
Next door, the shares run from 3.2% in Bronx County to 8.1% in Kings County, with Nassau County and Bronx County below Queens County. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 5.3% share point the same way here.
Half the tests came in under 0.8 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 135.6 pCi/L. The rest split 82.6% under 2 pCi/L and 12.2% from 2 to 4 (New York: 51.7% and 23.7%).
The busiest year on file was 2017, with 14 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 3.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Queens County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Queens 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 Queens 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
0%
Average result
0.8 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
10.6 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.
Queens County, Geology
The ground under Queens County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Queens County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 85.6% of it lies in the area the map calls Atlantic Coastal Plain, to which USGS gives a radon index of 7, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Coastal Plain | Glacial deposits and marine sediments. | Low | 7 | 85.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Queens County beside the ground around it
Across New York 48.9% of the land is rated high; none of Queens County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, New York County the most at 84.1%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Queens County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Queens 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
Queens County, Questions
Questions about radon in Queens County
Are radon levels high in Queens County?
In 2023, 9.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Queens County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.5 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 58 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.
Which counties border Queens County?
Queens County borders 4 counties: Kings County, New York County, Nassau County and Bronx County.
Products
Queens County, Products
Testing a home in Queens County
In Queens County, 5.3% of 419 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.5% 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 Queens 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-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Queens County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Queens County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Kings CountyEPA zone 3
8.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.7 pCi/L · 707 tests · 2.8 points above Queens County
- Radon levels in New York CountyEPA zone 3
7.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.2 pCi/L · 759 tests · 1.8 points above Queens County
- Radon levels in Nassau CountyEPA zone 3
5.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.0 pCi/L · 631 tests · 0.1 points below Queens County
- Radon levels in Bronx CountyEPA zone 3
3.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.5 pCi/L · 185 tests · 2.1 points below Queens County
Queens County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Queens County
About 2,358,182 people live in Queens County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 27,359 fewer than in 2020 (−1.1%). Packed into its land, that is 21,690 people per square mile. New York, the largest place on its list (8,584,629 residents in all), extends beyond Queens County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 419 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where New York as a whole comes to 4.9.
New York is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Queens County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Yorkextends beyond Queens 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 Queens County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Queens County, Homes
Homes in Queens County
Queens County has 903,598 homes, and many share a building: 41% are in buildings of five or more, 19% are detached houses, against 41% across New York. Half of its homes were built before 1953, close to New York's 1958: 64% date from before 1960 and 9% from 2000 or later. Most occupied homes here are rented: owners live in 45% (New York: 54%). A tenant can run a test; a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Queens County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 903,598 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 19% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 41% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | under 1% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 64% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 9% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1953 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 45% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.