Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Ashe County, North Carolina
EPA puts Ashe County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2022). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
34.1%
11.5 pts above NC
- Ashe
- 34.1%
- NC
- 22.6%
681 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Ashe
- 2.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
681
27th of 75 by tests
- Ashe
- 681
- Wake
- 9,694
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 NC
16 of 75
Top quarter
- Ashe
- 34.1%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Ashe County
Starts at Ashe County's median, 2.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.5 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. Ashe County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Ashe County, At a glance
Ashe County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Ashe 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 Ashe County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 34.5% |
| 2020 | 37.6% |
| 2021 | 48.5% |
| 2022 | 100.0% |
2022: 100.0%. Across these years the share ran from 34.5% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Ashe County over 2022, 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: 2022. Measured data period: 2005 to 2022 (every CDC figure on file).
Ashe County, Compared
Ashe County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Ashe County, about 3 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (232 of 681) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.6 points lower. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Ashe County runs 11.5 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 1 test (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 681-test figure.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, all 5 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 34.4% (Johnson County, TN) to 45.1% (Watauga County). By share, Ashe County is 16th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 34.5% and 2021 closed at 48.5% (up 14.0 points), with 2021 the high at 48.5%. Half the tests came in under 2.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 48.8 pCi/L. Below the action level, 278 tests (40.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 171 tests (25.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 34.1% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 19 tests taken after mitigation in Ashe County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 85 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.
Ashe CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
48.5% % of tests14.9% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Ashe County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 84 | 34.5% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 85 | 37.6% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 33 | 48.5% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Ashe County, Geology
The ground under Ashe County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Ashe County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Blue Ridge, to which USGS gives a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge | Granite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss. | Moderate | 10 | 99.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Ashe County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Ashe County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Johnson County, TN the most at 85.1%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Ashe County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Ashe County
- North Carolina Radon ProgramNorth Carolina Radon Program, run by NCDHHS, answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in North Carolina.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in North Carolina2 professionals are listed in North Carolina.
What North Carolina's program says
- Licensing of radon professionals
The North Carolina Radon Program is presently developing a Radon Proficiency Program as directed by Session Law 2023-91 House Bill 782 .
What it means
Ashe County, Questions
Questions about radon in Ashe County
Are radon levels high in Ashe County?
In 2022, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Ashe County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 15 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Ashe County?
Ashe County borders 5 counties: Watauga County, NC, Johnson County, TN, Alleghany County, NC, Wilkes County, NC and Grayson County, VA.
Products
Ashe County, Products
Testing a home in Ashe County
In Ashe County, 34.1% of 681 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.6% pooled across North Carolina. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Ashe County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
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
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
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Ashe County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Ashe County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Watauga County, NCEPA zone 1
45.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 1,215 tests · 11.0 points above Ashe County
- Radon levels in Grayson County, VAEPA zone 2
44.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 47 tests · 10.6 points above Ashe County
- Radon levels in Wilkes County, NCEPA zone 2
44.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 402 tests · 10.2 points above Ashe County
- Radon levels in Alleghany County, NCEPA zone 1
41.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.3 pCi/L · 285 tests · 7.0 points above Ashe County
- Radon levels in Johnson County, TNEPA zone 2
34.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 157 tests · 0.3 points above Ashe County
Ashe County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Ashe County
The Census Bureau estimates 27,514 residents in Ashe County for July 1, 2025, 929 more than in 2020 (+3.5%). That works out to 65 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Jefferson, the largest, has 1,680 residents, 6.1% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 11.5% of those residents; the other 88.5% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 681 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 24.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.
From Jefferson to Lansing, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Ashe County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 1,680 | +3.3% | 6.1% |
| West Jefferson | 1,348 | +2.5% | 4.9% |
| Lansing | 128 | +1.6% | 0.5% |
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).
Ashe County, Homes
Homes in Ashe County
Of Ashe County's 17,111 homes, 75% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 17% are mobile homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1981 (1990 for North Carolina), and 17% date from before 1960. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Ashe County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 17,111 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 75% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 17% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 17% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 20% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1981 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.