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 Burke County, North Carolina
EPA puts Burke County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 6 radon tests from it are 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
28.3%
5.7 pts above NC
- Burke
- 28.3%
- NC
- 22.6%
940 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.4pCi/L
Below action level
- Burke
- 2.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
940
18th of 75 by tests
- Burke
- 940
- 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
27 of 75
Middle half
- Burke
- 28.3%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Burke County
Starts at Burke County's median, 2.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.4 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. Burke County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Burke County, At a glance
Burke County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Burke County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 94% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Burke County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 30.6% |
| 2020 | 32.4% |
| 2021 | 21.4% |
| 2022 | 16.7% |
2022: 16.7%. Across these years the share ran from 16.7% to 32.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 6 tests were reported to CDC for Burke 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).
Burke County, Compared
Burke County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Burke County's 940 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.4 pCi/L and a maximum of 26.7 pCi/L, and 28.3% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 5.7 points lower than here.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 6 tests (16.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 940-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 27th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Transylvania County reported the highest share (47.8%) and Nash County the lowest (0.0%).
Below the action level, 375 tests (39.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 299 tests (31.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 148 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 6.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Burke County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 94% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 24.8% in Catawba County to 39.5% in Cleveland County, with Caldwell County, Rutherford County and Catawba County below Burke County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 9.2 points, from 30.6% in 2014 to 21.4% in 2021; its peak was 32.4% in 2020.
CDC also counts 30 tests taken after mitigation in Burke County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Burke CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
| Year | Tests | Burke County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 147 | 30.6% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 148 | 32.4% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 117 | 21.4% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Burke County, Geology
The ground under Burke County
PredictedMost of the ground under Burke County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 94.2% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 5.8% high. The map puts 73.0% of Burke County in the area it calls Inner Piedmont Belt and 21.2% in Blue Ridge, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11 and the second 10, both in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Piedmont Belt | Proterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and schist, and mica schist. | Moderate | 11 | 73.0% |
| Blue Ridge | Granite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss. | Moderate | 10 | 21.2% |
| Chauga Belt | Monzonitic to granodioritic gneiss. | High | 12 | 5.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Burke County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Burke County is close to North Carolina as a whole: 5.8% of its land against 1.3%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, McDowell County the most at 24.9%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Burke County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Burke 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
Burke County, Questions
Questions about radon in Burke County
Are radon levels high in Burke County?
In 2022, 16.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Burke County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.6 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 26 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Burke County?
Burke County borders 7 counties: Caldwell County, McDowell County, Avery County, Rutherford County, Cleveland County, Catawba County and Lincoln County.
Products
Burke County, Products
Testing a home in Burke County
In Burke County, 28.3% of 940 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 Burke 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
View Radon Wi-Fi radon monitor with an e-paper display
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Battery
- Wi-Fi, 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
Burke County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Burke County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Cleveland CountyEPA zone 2
39.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 511 tests · 11.2 points above Burke County
- Radon levels in Avery CountyEPA zone 2
38.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 160 tests · 10.5 points above Burke County
- Radon levels in McDowell CountyEPA zone 2
37.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 776 tests · 9.2 points above Burke County
- Radon levels in Lincoln CountyEPA zone 2
29.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 708 tests · 0.7 points above Burke County
- Radon levels in Caldwell CountyEPA zone 2
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 861 tests · 0.7 points below Burke County
- Radon levels in Rutherford CountyEPA zone 2
25.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 511 tests · 2.7 points below Burke County
- Radon levels in Catawba CountyEPA zone 2
24.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 1,259 tests · 3.5 points below Burke County
Burke County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Burke County
The Census Bureau estimates 88,655 residents in Burke County for July 1, 2025, 1,393 more than in 2020 (+1.6%). That works out to 175 people per square mile of land. Hickory, the largest place on its list (45,975 residents in all), extends beyond Burke County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 940 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 10.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.
From Hickory to Rhodhiss, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Burke County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickoryextends beyond Burke County | 45,975 | +5.2% | Counted whole |
| Morganton | 17,849 | +2.0% | 20.1% |
| Long Viewextends beyond Burke County | 5,387 | +5.8% | Counted whole |
| Valdese | 4,712 | +0.5% | 5.3% |
| Drexel | 1,764 | +1.0% | 2.0% |
| Hildebran | 1,691 | +0.5% | 1.9% |
| Glen Alpine | 1,552 | +0.5% | 1.8% |
| Connelly Springs | 1,550 | +2.0% | 1.7% |
| Rutherford Collegeextends beyond Burke County | 1,220 | +0.7% | Counted whole |
| Rhodhissextends beyond Burke County | 996 | +0.8% | Counted whole |
10 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 Burke County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Burke County, Homes
Homes in Burke County
Of Burke County's 40,058 homes, 71% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 19% are mobile homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1980 (1990 for North Carolina), and 22% date from before 1960. 75% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (North Carolina: 66%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Burke County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 40,058 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 71% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 19% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 22% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1980 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 75% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.