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 Schenectady County, New York
EPA puts Schenectady County in Zone 2, its middle 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
17.3%
7.2 pts below NY
- Schenectady
- 17.3%
- New York
- 24.5%
2,028 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
1.7pCi/L
Below action level
- Schenectady
- 1.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
2,028
14th of 61 by tests
- Schenectady
- 2,028
- Erie
- 13,822
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in New York
41 of 61
Middle half
- Schenectady
- 17.3%
- Chemung
- 52.3%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Schenectady County
Starts at Schenectady County's median, 1.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.7 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. Schenectady County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Schenectady County, At a glance
Schenectady County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Schenectady County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Schenectady County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 27.6% |
| 2015 | 7.1% |
| 2016 | 10.2% |
| 2017 | 2.6% |
| 2018 | 15.4% |
| 2019 | 11.3% |
| 2020 | 23.9% |
| 2021 | 5.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0% |
2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 27.6%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 3 tests were reported to CDC for Schenectady 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).
Schenectady County, Compared
Schenectady County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Schenectady County's 2,028 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.7 pCi/L and a maximum of 73.0 pCi/L, and 17.3% reached 4 pCi/L. New York as a whole (62 New York counties, pooled) comes to 24.5%: 7.2 points higher than here.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 3 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 2,028-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 41st 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, 1,149 tests (56.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.7% statewide, and 529 tests (26.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.7% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2017, with 378 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 3.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Schenectady County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 14.7% in Montgomery County to 22.3% in Saratoga County, with Albany County and Montgomery County below Schenectady County. Over 7 years of annual figures the share fell 27.6 points, from 27.6% in 2014 to 0.0% in 2022; its peak was 27.6% in 2014.
CDC also counts 35 tests taken after mitigation in Schenectady County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Schenectady CountyNew York, pooled
0.0% % of tests22.4% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Schenectady County, at or above 4 pCi/L | New York, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 58 | 27.6% | 16.6% |
| 2015 | 56 | 7.1% | 21.4% |
| 2016 | 108 | 10.2% | 20.4% |
| 2017 | 378 | 2.6% | 31.6% |
| 2019 | 53 | 11.3% | 28.0% |
| 2020 | 46 | 23.9% | 22.7% |
| 2022 | 177 | 0.0% | 22.4% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Schenectady County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Schenectady 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 Schenectady 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
16%
Average result
2.4 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
47.4 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.
Schenectady County, Geology
The ground under Schenectady County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Schenectady County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Hudson-Mohawk Lowland, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson-Mohawk Lowland | Sandstone, siltstone, shale, and conglomerates. | Moderate | 11 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Schenectady County beside the ground around it
Across New York 48.9% of the land is rated high; none of Schenectady County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Schoharie County the most at 87.5%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Schenectady County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Schenectady 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
Schenectady County, Questions
Questions about radon in Schenectady County
Are radon levels high in Schenectady County?
In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Schenectady County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.5 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 40 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.5%.
Which counties border Schenectady County?
Schenectady County borders 4 counties: Albany County, Montgomery County, Saratoga County and Schoharie County.
Products
Schenectady County, Products
Testing a home in Schenectady County
In Schenectady County, 17.3% of 2,028 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.5% pooled across New York. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Schenectady County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
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
Monitor
Wave Plus battery radon and air quality monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- App only
Method: Alpha spectrometry
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Schenectady County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Schenectady County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Saratoga CountyEPA zone 2
22.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 4,449 tests · 5.0 points above Schenectady County
- Radon levels in Schoharie CountyEPA zone 1
21.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.7 pCi/L · 504 tests · 4.5 points above Schenectady County
- Radon levels in Albany CountyEPA zone 1
15.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 2,740 tests · 1.6 points below Schenectady County
- Radon levels in Montgomery CountyEPA zone 2
14.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 252 tests · 2.6 points below Schenectady County
Schenectady County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Schenectady County
The Census Bureau estimates 162,581 residents in Schenectady County for July 1, 2025, 4,707 more than in 2020 (+3.0%). That works out to 795 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Schenectady, has 69,471 residents, 42.7% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 47.4% of those residents; the other 52.6% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 2,028 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 12.5 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 4.9 for New York.
From Schenectady to Delanson, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Schenectady County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady | 69,471 | +3.8% | 42.7% |
| Scotia | 7,295 | +0.7% | 4.5% |
| Delanson | 306 | +0.7% | 0.2% |
3 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).
Schenectady County, Homes
Homes in Schenectady County
Of Schenectady County's 71,051 homes, 60% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 16% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1955, close to New York's 1958: 58% date from before 1960 and 13% from 2000 or later. 64% 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 | Schenectady County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 71,051 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 60% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 16% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | 1% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 58% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 13% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1955 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 64% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.