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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Cherokee County, North Carolina
EPA puts Cherokee County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 5 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
43.2%
20.6 pts above NC
- Cherokee
- 43.2%
- NC
- 22.6%
1,045 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.4pCi/L
Below action level
- Cherokee
- 3.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,045
16th of 75 by tests
- Cherokee
- 1,045
- Wake
- 9,694
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in NC
5 of 75
Top quarter
- Cherokee
- 43.2%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Cherokee County
Starts at Cherokee County's median, 3.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.4 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. Cherokee County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Cherokee County, At a glance
Cherokee County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Cherokee County in
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 Cherokee County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 40.4% |
| 2020 | 41.4% |
| 2021 | 25.0% |
| 2022 | 60.0% |
2022: 60.0%. Across these years the share ran from 25.0% to 60.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 5 tests were reported to CDC for Cherokee 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).
Cherokee County, Compared
Cherokee County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Cherokee County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (451 of 1,045) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 7.5 points higher. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Cherokee County runs 20.6 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 5 tests (60.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,045-test figure.
Of 7 neighbours with a figure, 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 17.1% (Macon County) to 45.5% (Monroe County, TN). By share, Cherokee County is 5th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 40.4% and 2021 closed at 25.0% (down 15.4 points), with 2020 the high at 41.4%. Half the tests came in under 3.4 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 78.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 265 tests (25.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 329 tests (31.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 43.2% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 68 tests taken after mitigation in Cherokee County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 240 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 5.
Cherokee CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
25.0% % of tests14.9% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Cherokee County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 240 | 40.4% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 174 | 41.4% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 56 | 25.0% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Cherokee County, Geology
The ground under Cherokee County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Cherokee 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 | 99.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Cherokee County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Cherokee County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Monroe County, TN the most at 50.0%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Cherokee County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Cherokee 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
Cherokee County, Questions
Questions about radon in Cherokee County
Are radon levels high in Cherokee County?
In 2022, 60.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cherokee 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, 4 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Cherokee County?
Cherokee County borders 7 counties: Graham County, NC, Clay County, NC, Monroe County, TN, Union County, GA, Polk County, TN, Fannin County, GA and Macon County, NC.
Products
Cherokee County, Products
Testing a home in Cherokee County
In Cherokee County, 43.2% of 1,045 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.6% pooled across North Carolina. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Cherokee County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Monitor
Hello Radon C battery radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Screen
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Cherokee County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Cherokee County
Explore
Cherokee County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Cherokee County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Monroe County, TNEPA zone 1
45.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 189 tests · 2.3 points above Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Fannin County, GAEPA zone 2
44.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 300 tests · 1.5 points above Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Union County, GAEPA zone 2
44.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.3 pCi/L · 276 tests · 1.4 points above Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Clay County, NCEPA zone 2
43.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 323 tests · 0.2 points below Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Graham County, NCEPA zone 2
42.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 69 tests · 1.2 points below Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Polk County, TNEPA zone 2
27.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 43 tests · 15.3 points below Cherokee County
- Radon levels in Macon County, NCEPA zone 2
17.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 1,354 tests · 26.1 points below Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Cherokee County
Cherokee County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 30,830 residents on July 1, 2025, up 6.8% from 28,866 in 2020. That works out to 68 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Murphy, the largest, has 1,808 residents, 5.9% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 11.7% of those residents; the other 88.3% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,045 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 33.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.
From Murphy to Andrews, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cherokee County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy | 1,808 | +12.1% | 5.9% |
| Andrews | 1,799 | +7.5% | 5.8% |
2 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).
Cherokee County, Homes
Homes in Cherokee County
Cherokee County is a place of houses on their own lots: 76% of its 18,182 homes are detached single-family houses, against 65% across North Carolina. Half of its homes were built before 1993, close to North Carolina's 1990: 9% date from before 1960 and 39% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 84% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Cherokee County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 18,182 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 76% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 1% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 20% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 9% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 39% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1993 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 84% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.