Short-term kit
Air Chek Short-Term radon test kit you hang, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
In home: 72 to 168 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Columbus County, North Carolina
EPA puts Columbus County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2020). 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
- Columbus
- 0.0%
- NC
- 23.2%
32 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
0.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Columbus
- 0.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
32
73rd of 73 by tests
- Columbus
- 32
- 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
- Columbus
- 0.0%
- Transylvania
- 48.1%
By share, of 73 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Columbus County
Starts at Columbus 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 Columbus County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.
The data
Columbus County, At a glance
Columbus County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Columbus County, 2020
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
2020: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 0.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Columbus County over 2020, 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: 2020. Measured data period: 2005 to 2020 (every CDC figure on file).
Columbus County, Compared
Columbus County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Only 0 of 32 radon tests reported for Columbus 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 2.7 pCi/L.
The newest figure, in 2020, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 32-test figure.
Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 23.2% of tests reached that level, so Columbus 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 3 neighbours with a figure, all 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 0.0% (Brunswick County) to 2.3% (Robeson County).
Below the action level, 31 tests (96.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.2% statewide, and 1 tests (3.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.6% statewide. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land low radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 2 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Columbus County, Geology
The ground under Columbus County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Columbus County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 96.9% of it lies in the area the map calls Inner Coastal Plain, to which USGS gives a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Coastal Plain | Fossiliferous clay and sand, shelly sand, sandy marl, and limestone. | Low | 8 | 96.9% |
| Outer Coastal Plain | Unconsolidated sand. | Low | 7 | 2.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Columbus County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Columbus County's is. None of the 6 counties that border it has any moderate-potential ground either.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Columbus County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Columbus 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
Columbus County, Questions
Questions about radon in Columbus County
Are radon levels high in Columbus County?
In 2020, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Columbus County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.4 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 Columbus County?
Columbus County borders 6 counties: Brunswick County, NC, Horry County, SC, Bladen County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Dillon County, SC and Pender County, NC.
Products
Columbus County, Products
Testing a home in Columbus County
In Columbus County, 0.0% of 32 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 Columbus 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
RM-63Pro rechargeable radon monitor with a touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Columbus County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Columbus County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Pender County, NCEPA zone 3
13.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 15 tests · 13.3 points above Columbus County
- Radon levels in Robeson County, NCEPA zone 3
2.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 44 tests · 2.3 points above Columbus County
- Radon levels in Horry County, SCEPA zone 3
1.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.6 pCi/L · 91 tests · 1.1 points above Columbus County
- Radon levels in Brunswick County, NCEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.2 pCi/L · 61 tests · 0.0 points above Columbus County
- Radon levels in Bladen County, NCEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 10 tests · 0.0 points above Columbus County
- Radon levels in Dillon County, SCEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 17 tests · 0.0 points above Columbus County
Columbus County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Columbus County
Columbus County's population has barely moved since 2020: 50,487 residents on July 1, 2025 against 50,487 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 54 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Whiteville, the largest, has 4,765 residents, 9.4% of the total. Together its 10 incorporated places hold 28.3% of those residents; the other 71.7% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 32 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 Whiteville to Cerro Gordo, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Columbus County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteville | 4,765 | +0.4% | 9.4% |
| Tabor City | 3,886 | +0.2% | 7.7% |
| Chadbourn | 1,539 | −1.1% | 3.0% |
| Lake Waccamaw | 1,239 | −4.0% | 2.5% |
| Brunswick | 921 | +5.0% | 1.8% |
| Fair Bluff | 737 | +5.1% | 1.5% |
| Sandyfield | 450 | +3.9% | 0.9% |
| Bolton | 448 | −1.5% | 0.9% |
| Boardman | 163 | +0.6% | 0.3% |
| Cerro Gordo | 144 | +9.9% | 0.3% |
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).
Columbus County, Homes
Homes in Columbus County
Of Columbus County's 23,560 homes, 63% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 30% are mobile homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1981 (1990 for North Carolina), and 21% date from before 1960. 72% 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 | Columbus County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 23,560 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 63% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 30% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 21% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 19% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1981 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.