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 Carteret County, North Carolina
EPA puts Carteret County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 6 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
0.0%
23.2 pts below NC
- Carteret
- 0.0%
- NC
- 23.2%
43 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
0.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Carteret
- 0.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
43
69th of 73 by tests
- Carteret
- 43
- Wake
- 9,664
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in NC
69 of 73
Lowest quarter
- Carteret
- 0.0%
- Transylvania
- 48.1%
By share, of 73 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Carteret County
Starts at Carteret County's median, 0.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.2 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. 0.1 pCi/L above Carteret County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.
The data
Carteret County, At a glance
Carteret County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 86% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Carteret County, 2021
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 9.1% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
2021: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 9.1%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 6 tests were reported to CDC for Carteret 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).
Carteret County, Compared
Carteret County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Only 0 of 43 radon tests reported for Carteret County over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L (0.0%). The median result, 0.1 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 3.4 pCi/L.
The newest figure, in 2021, counts only 6 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 43-test figure.
Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 23.2% of tests reached that level, so Carteret County runs 23.2 points below its state. Against the national pool of 35.8%, the gap is 35.8 points lower. Its place in the state: 69th of 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 0.0% share point the same way here. Of 2 neighbours with a figure, all 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 0.0% (Craven County) to 2.2% (Onslow County).
Below the action level, 41 tests (95.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.2% statewide, and 2 tests (4.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.6% statewide. USGS geology rates 86% of the county's land low radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 11 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 6.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Carteret County, Geology
The ground under Carteret County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Carteret County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 86.2% of it lies in the area the map calls Outer Coastal Plain, to which USGS gives a radon index of 7, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Coastal Plain | Unconsolidated sand. | Low | 7 | 86.2% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Carteret County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Carteret County's is. None of the 3 counties that border it has any moderate-potential ground either.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Carteret County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Carteret 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
Carteret County, Questions
Questions about radon in Carteret County
Are radon levels high in Carteret County?
In 2021, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Carteret County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 68 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.2%.
Which counties border Carteret County?
Carteret County borders 3 counties: Craven County, Onslow County and Jones County.
Products
Carteret County, Products
Testing a home in Carteret County
In Carteret County, 0.0% of 43 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 23.2% pooled across North Carolina. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Carteret County.
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
Carteret County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Carteret County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Onslow CountyEPA zone 3
2.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.2 pCi/L · 139 tests · 2.2 points above Carteret County
- Radon levels in Craven CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.2 pCi/L · 80 tests · 0.0 points above Carteret County
- Radon levels in Jones CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1 test · 0.0 points above Carteret County
Carteret County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Carteret County
The Census Bureau estimates 70,469 residents in Carteret County for July 1, 2025, 2,777 more than in 2020 (+4.1%). That works out to 139 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Morehead City, the largest, has 10,434 residents, 14.8% of the total. Together its 11 incorporated places hold 46.1% of those residents; the other 53.9% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 43 tests over 2007 to 2016, or 0.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.3.
From Morehead City to Indian Beach, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Carteret County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead City | 10,434 | +8.8% | 14.8% |
| Beaufort | 4,912 | +9.8% | 7.0% |
| Newport | 4,500 | +3.6% | 6.4% |
| Emerald Isle | 3,970 | +3.2% | 5.6% |
| Cape Carteret | 2,273 | +2.0% | 3.2% |
| Cedar Point | 1,825 | +2.7% | 2.6% |
| Pine Knoll Shores | 1,423 | +2.7% | 2.0% |
| Atlantic Beach | 1,408 | +2.5% | 2.0% |
| Peletier | 803 | +3.6% | 1.1% |
| Bogue | 706 | +2.2% | 1.0% |
| Indian Beach | 231 | +4.1% | 0.3% |
11 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).
Carteret County, Homes
Homes in Carteret County
Of Carteret County's 51,615 homes, 61% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 17% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1989, close to North Carolina's 1990: 11% date from before 1960 and 29% from 2000 or later. 74% 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 | Carteret County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 51,615 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 61% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 13% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 17% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 11% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 29% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1989 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.