Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Cleveland County, North Carolina
EPA puts Cleveland County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is 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
39.5%
16.9 pts above NC
- Cleveland
- 39.5%
- NC
- 22.6%
511 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Cleveland
- 2.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
511
35th of 75 by tests
- Cleveland
- 511
- 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
13 of 75
Top quarter
- Cleveland
- 39.5%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Cleveland County
Starts at Cleveland 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. Cleveland County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Cleveland County, At a glance
Cleveland County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Cleveland 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 Cleveland County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 43.4% |
| 2020 | 43.3% |
| 2021 | 56.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 56.5%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Cleveland 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).
Cleveland County, Compared
Cleveland County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Cleveland County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (202 of 511) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 3.8 points higher. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Cleveland County runs 16.9 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 511-test figure.
Of 6 neighbours with a figure, none reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 13.6% (York County, SC) to 29.0% (Lincoln County). By share, Cleveland County is 13th 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 43.6 pCi/L. Below the action level, 187 tests (36.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 122 tests (23.9%) 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 39.5% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 37 tests taken after mitigation in Cleveland County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 76 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Cleveland County, Geology
The ground under Cleveland County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Cleveland County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 94.3% of Cleveland County in the area it calls Inner Piedmont Belt and 5.7% in Kings Mountain Belt. 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 | 94.3% |
| Kings Mountain Belt | Proterozoic-Cambrain metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 5.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Cleveland County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Cleveland County's is. Of the 6 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
Cleveland County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Cleveland 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
Cleveland County, Questions
Questions about radon in Cleveland County
Are radon levels high in Cleveland County?
In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cleveland 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, 12 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Cleveland County?
Cleveland County borders 6 counties: Lincoln County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Cherokee County, SC, Burke County, NC and York County, SC.
Products
Cleveland County, Products
Testing a home in Cleveland County
In Cleveland County, 39.5% of 511 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 Cleveland County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
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
EcoBlu plug-in digital radon monitor with a display
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Cleveland County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Cleveland County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Lincoln County, NCEPA zone 2
29.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 708 tests · 10.5 points below Cleveland County
- Radon levels in Burke County, NCEPA zone 2
28.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 940 tests · 11.2 points below Cleveland County
- Radon levels in Rutherford County, NCEPA zone 2
25.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 511 tests · 13.9 points below Cleveland County
- Radon levels in Gaston County, NCEPA zone 2
19.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.5 pCi/L · 593 tests · 20.4 points below Cleveland County
- Radon levels in Cherokee County, SCEPA zone 2
13.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 153 tests · 25.8 points below Cleveland County
- Radon levels in York County, SCEPA zone 2
13.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.2 pCi/L · 1,412 tests · 25.9 points below Cleveland County
Cleveland County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Cleveland County
The Census Bureau estimates 103,325 residents in Cleveland County for July 1, 2025, 3,399 more than in 2020 (+3.4%). That works out to 223 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Shelby, has 23,309 residents, 22.6% of the total. CDC's 511 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 4.9 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 6.5.
From Shelby to Earl, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cleveland County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 23,309 | +6.2% | 22.6% |
| Kings Mountainextends beyond Cleveland County | 12,117 | +7.1% | Counted whole |
| Boiling Springs | 4,799 | +1.5% | 4.6% |
| Belwood | 876 | +2.0% | 0.8% |
| Grover | 810 | +1.1% | 0.8% |
| Kingstown | 668 | +1.2% | 0.6% |
| Fallston | 635 | +2.1% | 0.6% |
| Patterson Springs | 590 | +2.8% | 0.6% |
| Lawndale | 578 | +1.9% | 0.6% |
| Polkville | 516 | +1.0% | 0.5% |
| Lattimore | 468 | +3.8% | 0.5% |
| Waco | 316 | +1.9% | 0.3% |
- Casar
- Mooresboro
- Earl
15 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). A place that extends beyond Cleveland County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Cleveland County, Homes
Homes in Cleveland County
Of Cleveland County's 43,999 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 18% are mobile homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1979 (1990 for North Carolina), and 20% date from before 1960. 71% 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 | Cleveland County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 43,999 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 70% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 18% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 20% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1979 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 71% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.