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 Dare County, North Carolina
EPA puts Dare County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is 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
28.6%
5.4 pts above NC
- Dare
- 28.6%
- NC
- 23.2%
42 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
0.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Dare
- 0.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
42
70th of 73 by tests
- Dare
- 42
- 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
27 of 73
Middle half
- Dare
- 28.6%
- Transylvania
- 48.1%
By share, of 73 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Dare County
Starts at Dare 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 Dare County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.
The data
Dare County, At a glance
Dare County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 91% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Dare County, 2021
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 100.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
2021: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Dare 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).
Dare County, Compared
Dare County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Dare County's 42 reported tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals had a middle value of 0.1 pCi/L and a maximum of 33.7 pCi/L, and 28.6% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 23.2%: 5.4 points lower than here.
The newest figure, in 2021, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 42-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 27th of 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Transylvania County reported the highest share (48.1%) and Columbus County the lowest (0.0%).
Below the action level, 30 tests (71.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.2% statewide, and 0 tests (0.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.6% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2014, with 2 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 1.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Dare County in Zone 3, a predicted county average under 2 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 91% of the county's land low radon potential.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Dare County, Geology
The ground under Dare County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Dare County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 90.6% 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 | 90.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Dare County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Dare County's is. None of the 2 counties that border it has any moderate-potential ground either.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Dare County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Dare 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
Dare County, Questions
Questions about radon in Dare County
Are radon levels high in Dare County?
In 2021, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Dare 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, 26 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.2%.
Which counties border Dare County?
Dare County borders 2 counties: Hyde County and Currituck County.
Products
Dare County, Products
Testing a home in Dare County
In Dare County, 28.6% of 42 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 Dare 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
MonitorAranet
Radon One battery digital radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
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
Dare County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Dare County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Hyde CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.1 pCi/L · 4 tests · 28.6 points below Dare County
- Radon levels in Currituck CountyEPA zone 3
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.3 pCi/L · 8 tests · 28.6 points below Dare County
Dare County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Dare County
The Census Bureau estimates 38,245 residents in Dare County for July 1, 2025, 1,209 more than in 2020 (+3.3%). That works out to 100 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Kill Devil Hills, has 7,731 residents, 20.2% of the total. Together its 6 incorporated places hold 52.2% of those residents; the other 47.8% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 42 tests over 2007 to 2016, or 1.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.3.
From Kill Devil Hills to Duck, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Dare County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills | 7,731 | +0.9% | 20.2% |
| Kitty Hawk | 3,670 | −1.1% | 9.6% |
| Nags Head | 3,117 | −2.0% | 8.2% |
| Southern Shores | 3,110 | +0.3% | 8.1% |
| Manteo | 1,585 | −0.9% | 4.1% |
| Duck | 736 | −0.9% | 1.9% |
6 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).
Dare County, Homes
Homes in Dare County
Dare County is a place of houses on their own lots: 78% of its 34,839 homes are detached single-family houses, against 65% across North Carolina. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to North Carolina's 1990: 6% date from before 1960 and 25% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Dare County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 34,839 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 78% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 10% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 6% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 25% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1987 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.