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 Ulster County, New York
EPA puts Ulster County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 6 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
29.7%
4.8 pts above NY
- Ulster
- 29.7%
- New York
- 24.9%
3,597 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
2.2pCi/L
Below action level
- Ulster
- 2.2 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
3,597
6th of 61 by tests
- Ulster
- 3,597
- Erie
- 12,998
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016
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
23 of 61
Middle half
- Ulster
- 29.7%
- Chemung
- 51.7%
By share, of 61 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Ulster County
Starts at Ulster County's median, 2.2 pCi/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
- 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. Ulster County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.
The data
Ulster County, At a glance
Ulster County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Ulster County in
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 Ulster County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 44.4% |
| 2015 | 21.1% |
| 2016 | 30.8% |
| 2017 | 36.8% |
| 2018 | 22.2% |
| 2019 | 18.5% |
| 2020 | 43.8% |
| 2021 | 66.7% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.7% |
2023: 16.7%. 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 6 tests were reported to CDC for Ulster 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).
Ulster County, Compared
Ulster County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Ulster County's 3,597 reported tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.2 pCi/L and a maximum of 228.0 pCi/L, and 29.7% reached 4 pCi/L. New York as a whole (62 New York counties, pooled) comes to 24.9%: 4.8 points lower than here.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 6 tests (16.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 3,597-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 23rd 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 (51.7%) and Bronx County the lowest (2.3%).
Below the action level, 1,635 tests (45.5%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 51.6% statewide, and 894 tests (24.9%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.5% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2016, with 39 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 3.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Ulster County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 19.5% in Sullivan County to 41.9% in Columbia County, with Delaware County and Sullivan County below Ulster County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share rose 15.7 points, from 21.1% in 2015 to 36.8% in 2017; its peak was 36.8% in 2017.
CDC also counts 59 tests taken after mitigation in Ulster County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Ulster CountyNew York, pooled
| Year | Tests | Ulster County, at or above 4 pCi/L | New York, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 38 | 21.1% | 21.4% |
| 2016 | 39 | 30.8% | 20.4% |
| 2017 | 38 | 36.8% | 31.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Ulster County, State data
New York's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat New York's own agencies publish about radon tests in Ulster 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 Ulster 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
24.4%
Average result
3.8 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
26.2 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.
Ulster County, Geology
The ground under Ulster County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Ulster County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 69.3% of Ulster County in the area it calls Allegheny Plateau and 26.7% in Valley and Ridge, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both 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 | 69.3% |
| Valley and Ridge | Marine shelf sequence with basal Cambrian sandstones and conglomerates, shales, and limestones. | High | 12 | 26.7% |
| New England-Taconic Mountains | Slate, phyllite, graywacke, and limestone. | High | 12 | 4.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Ulster County beside the ground around it
Ulster County has more high-potential ground than New York as a whole: 100% of its land against 48.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Greene County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Ulster County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Ulster 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
Ulster County, Questions
Questions about radon in Ulster County
Are radon levels high in Ulster County?
In 2023, 16.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Ulster County, New York were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 61 New York counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 22 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.9%.
Which counties border Ulster County?
Ulster County borders 6 counties: Greene County, Dutchess County, Sullivan County, Orange County, Columbia County and Delaware County.
Products
Ulster County, Products
Testing a home in Ulster County
In Ulster County, 29.7% of 3,597 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.9% pooled across New York. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Ulster 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1085 palm-sized rechargeable radon detector
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Ulster County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Ulster County
Explore
Ulster County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Ulster County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Columbia CountyEPA zone 1
41.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 508 tests · 12.2 points above Ulster County
- Radon levels in Dutchess CountyEPA zone 1
41.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 2,058 tests · 11.9 points above Ulster County
- Radon levels in Orange CountyEPA zone 1
30.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 2,718 tests · 0.8 points above Ulster County
- Radon levels in Greene CountyEPA zone 1
29.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 529 tests · 0.0 points above Ulster County
- Radon levels in Delaware CountyEPA zone 1
26.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 931 tests · 2.8 points below Ulster County
- Radon levels in Sullivan CountyEPA zone 1
19.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 256 tests · 10.2 points below Ulster County
Ulster County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Ulster County
The Census Bureau estimates 183,330 residents in Ulster County for July 1, 2025, 2,026 more than in 2020 (+1.1%). That works out to 163 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Kingston, the largest, has 23,942 residents, 13.1% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 22.2% of those residents; the other 77.8% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 3,597 reported tests for 2007 to 2016 come to 19.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 4.6 for New York.
From Kingston to Saugerties, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Ulster County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 23,942 | −0.1% | 13.1% |
| New Paltz | 8,689 | +18.1% | 4.7% |
| Ellenville | 4,201 | −1.6% | 2.3% |
| Saugerties | 3,853 | −1.3% | 2.1% |
4 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).
Ulster County, Homes
Homes in Ulster County
Of Ulster County's 86,178 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 41% across New York; 9% are in buildings of five or more homes. Much of Ulster County is recent building: 14% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1966, against 1958 for New York. 70% 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 | Ulster County | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 86,178 | 8,539,536 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 41% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 9% | 34% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 2% |
| Built before 1960 | 44% | 53% |
| Built since 2000 | 14% | 12% |
| Middle year built | 1966 | 1958 |
| Owner-occupied | 70% | 54% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.