Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Avery County, North Carolina
EPA puts Avery County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 28 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2021). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
38.8%
16.2 pts above NC
- Avery
- 38.8%
- NC
- 22.6%
160 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Avery
- 2.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
160
51st of 75 by tests
- Avery
- 160
- 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
14 of 75
Top quarter
- Avery
- 38.8%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Avery County
Starts at Avery 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. Avery County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Avery County, At a glance
Avery County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Avery 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 Avery County, 2021
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 37.8% |
| 2020 | 28.0% |
| 2021 | 32.1% |
2021: 32.1%. Across these years the share ran from 28.0% to 37.8%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 28 tests were reported to CDC for Avery County over 2021, 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: 2021. Measured data period: 2005 to 2021 (every CDC figure on file).
Avery County, Compared
Avery County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Avery County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (62 of 160) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 3.1 points higher. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Avery County runs 16.2 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2021, counts only 28 tests (32.1% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 160-test figure.
Of 7 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 5 a smaller one; the spread is 27.6% (Caldwell County) to 47.2% (Carter County, TN). By share, Avery County is 14th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 2.8 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 73.1 pCi/L. Below the action level, 61 tests (38.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 37 tests (23.1%) 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 38.8% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 7 tests taken after mitigation in Avery County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 93 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 28.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Avery County, Geology
The ground under Avery County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Avery 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 | 99.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Avery County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Avery County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 6 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
Avery County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Avery 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
Avery County, Questions
Questions about radon in Avery County
Are radon levels high in Avery County?
In 2021, 32.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Avery County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 13 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Avery County?
Avery County borders 7 counties: Mitchell County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Carter County, TN, McDowell County, NC, Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC and Johnson County, TN.
Products
Avery County, Products
Testing a home in Avery County
In Avery County, 38.8% of 160 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 Avery 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
Monitor
Corentium Home 2 battery digital radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
Readings: Every 60 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Avery County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Avery County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Carter County, TNEPA zone 2
47.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.7 pCi/L · 345 tests · 8.4 points above Avery County
- Radon levels in Watauga County, NCEPA zone 1
45.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 1,215 tests · 6.3 points above Avery County
- Radon levels in McDowell County, NCEPA zone 2
37.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 776 tests · 1.3 points below Avery County
- Radon levels in Johnson County, TNEPA zone 2
34.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 157 tests · 4.4 points below Avery County
- Radon levels in Mitchell County, NCEPA zone 1
28.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 433 tests · 10.2 points below Avery County
- Radon levels in Burke County, NCEPA zone 2
28.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 940 tests · 10.5 points below Avery County
- Radon levels in Caldwell County, NCEPA zone 2
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 861 tests · 11.2 points below Avery County
Avery County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Avery County
The Census Bureau estimates 18,110 residents in Avery County for July 1, 2025, 192 more than in 2020 (+1.1%). That works out to 73 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Banner Elk, the largest, has 1,242 residents, 6.9% of the total. CDC's 160 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 8.8 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 6.5.
From Banner Elk to Grandfather Village, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Avery County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Elk | 1,242 | +11.1% | 6.9% |
| Newland | 728 | +2.2% | 4.0% |
| Beech Mountainextends beyond Avery County | 659 | −0.8% | Counted whole |
| Elk Park | 552 | +2.8% | 3.0% |
| Sugar Mountain | 382 | +2.4% | 2.1% |
| Seven Devilsextends beyond Avery County | 314 | Level | Counted whole |
| Crossnore | 238 | +1.3% | 1.3% |
| Grandfather Village | 97 | +1.0% | 0.5% |
8 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). A place that extends beyond Avery County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Avery County, Homes
Homes in Avery County
Of Avery County's 14,051 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 12% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1985, close to North Carolina's 1990: 14% date from before 1960 and 20% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Avery County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 14,051 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 68% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 11% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 12% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 14% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 20% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1985 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.