Short-term kit
PicoCan short-term charcoal canister radon test
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Catawba County, North Carolina
EPA puts Catawba County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 9 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
24.8%
2.2 pts above NC
- Catawba
- 24.8%
- NC
- 22.6%
1,259 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.0pCi/L
Below action level
- Catawba
- 2.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,259
12th of 75 by tests
- Catawba
- 1,259
- 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
35 of 75
Middle half
- Catawba
- 24.8%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Catawba County
Starts at Catawba County's median, 2.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.0 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. Catawba County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Catawba County, At a glance
Catawba County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Catawba County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 97% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Catawba County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 20.3% |
| 2020 | 20.0% |
| 2021 | 16.9% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 20.3%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 9 tests were reported to CDC for Catawba 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).
Catawba County, Compared
Catawba County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Catawba County's 1,259 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.0 pCi/L and a maximum of 39.0 pCi/L, and 24.8% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 2.2 points lower than here.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 9 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,259-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 35th 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, 628 tests (49.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 319 tests (25.3%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 505 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 9.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Catawba County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 97% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 21.8% in Iredell County to 32.8% in Alexander County, with Iredell County below Catawba County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 3.4 points, from 20.3% in 2014 to 16.9% in 2021; its peak was 20.3% in 2014.
CDC also counts 80 tests taken after mitigation in Catawba County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Catawba CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
| Year | Tests | Catawba County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 217 | 20.3% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 505 | 20.0% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 403 | 16.9% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Catawba County, Geology
The ground under Catawba County
PredictedMost of the ground under Catawba County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 97.4% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 2.6% low. The map puts 78.0% of Catawba County in the area it calls Inner Piedmont Belt and 19.4% in Kings Mountain Belt, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 11, 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 | 78.0% |
| Kings Mountain Belt | Proterozoic-Cambrain metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 19.4% |
| Charlotte Belt | Igneous rocks, including granite, gabbro, and diorite. | Low | 8 | 2.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Catawba County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Catawba County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Burke County the most at 5.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Catawba County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Catawba 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
Catawba County, Questions
Questions about radon in Catawba County
Are radon levels high in Catawba County?
In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Catawba County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 34 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Catawba County?
Catawba County borders 5 counties: Alexander County, Lincoln County, Iredell County, Caldwell County and Burke County.
Products
Catawba County, Products
Testing a home in Catawba County
In Catawba County, 24.8% of 1,259 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 Catawba 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
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- 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
Catawba County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Catawba County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Alexander CountyEPA zone 2
32.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 311 tests · 8.0 points above Catawba County
- Radon levels in Lincoln CountyEPA zone 2
29.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 708 tests · 4.2 points above Catawba County
- Radon levels in Burke CountyEPA zone 2
28.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 940 tests · 3.5 points above Catawba County
- Radon levels in Caldwell CountyEPA zone 2
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 861 tests · 2.8 points above Catawba County
- Radon levels in Iredell CountyEPA zone 2
21.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1,146 tests · 3.0 points below Catawba County
Catawba County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Catawba County
Catawba County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 170,172 residents on July 1, 2025, up 5.8% from 160,892 in 2020. That works out to 424 people per square mile of land. Hickory, the largest place on its list (45,975 residents in all), extends beyond Catawba County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. CDC's 1,259 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 7.4 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 6.5.
From Hickory to Brookford, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Catawba County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickoryextends beyond Catawba County | 45,975 | +5.2% | Counted whole |
| Newton | 13,822 | +5.1% | 8.1% |
| Conover | 8,938 | +5.8% | 5.3% |
| Long Viewextends beyond Catawba County | 5,387 | +5.8% | Counted whole |
| Maidenextends beyond Catawba County | 3,922 | +6.1% | Counted whole |
| Claremont | 1,790 | +5.5% | 1.1% |
| Catawba | 736 | +5.1% | 0.4% |
| Brookford | 456 | +5.3% | 0.3% |
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 Catawba County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Catawba County, Homes
Homes in Catawba County
Of Catawba County's 72,028 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 13% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1984, close to North Carolina's 1990: 17% date from before 1960 and 23% from 2000 or later. 73% 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 | Catawba County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 72,028 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 68% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 10% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 13% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 17% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 23% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1984 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.