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 Gaston County, North Carolina
EPA puts Gaston County in Zone 2, its middle 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
19.1%
3.5 pts below NC
- Gaston
- 19.1%
- NC
- 22.6%
593 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
1.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Gaston
- 1.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
593
31st of 75 by tests
- Gaston
- 593
- 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
41 of 75
Middle half
- Gaston
- 19.1%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Gaston County
Starts at Gaston County's median, 1.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.5 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. Gaston County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Gaston County, At a glance
Gaston County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Gaston County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 63% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Gaston County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 13.5% |
| 2020 | 17.2% |
| 2021 | 15.1% |
| 2022 | 20.0% |
2022: 20.0%. Across these years the share ran from 13.5% to 20.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 5 tests were reported to CDC for Gaston 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).
Gaston County, Compared
Gaston County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Gaston County's 593 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 69.3 pCi/L, and 19.1% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 3.5 points higher than here.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 5 tests (20.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 593-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 41st 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, 345 tests (58.2%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 135 tests (22.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 134 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 5.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Gaston County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 63% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 8.5% in Mecklenburg County to 39.5% in Cleveland County, with York County, SC and Mecklenburg County below Gaston County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share held within 2 points, from 13.5% in 2014 to 15.1% in 2021; its peak was 17.2% in 2020.
CDC also counts 56 tests taken after mitigation in Gaston County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Gaston CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
| Year | Tests | Gaston County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 96 | 13.5% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 134 | 17.2% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 53 | 15.1% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Gaston County, Geology
The ground under Gaston County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Gaston County: 63.5% of its land is moderate radon potential and 36.5% low. The map puts 49.4% of Gaston County in the area it calls Kings Mountain Belt and 36.5% in Charlotte Belt, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 8, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Mountain Belt | Proterozoic-Cambrain metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 49.4% |
| Charlotte Belt | Igneous rocks, including granite, gabbro, and diorite. | Low | 8 | 36.5% |
| Inner Piedmont Belt | Proterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and schist, and mica schist. | Moderate | 11 | 14.1% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Gaston County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Gaston County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, Cleveland County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Gaston County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Gaston 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
Gaston County, Questions
Questions about radon in Gaston County
Are radon levels high in Gaston County?
In 2022, 20.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Gaston County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 40 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Gaston County?
Gaston County borders 4 counties: Lincoln County, NC, York County, SC, Mecklenburg County, NC and Cleveland County, NC.
Products
Gaston County, Products
Testing a home in Gaston County
In Gaston County, 19.1% of 593 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 Gaston 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
MonitorX-Sense
XR0A-iR Wi-Fi battery radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Wi-Fi
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Gaston County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Gaston County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Cleveland County, NCEPA zone 2
39.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 511 tests · 20.4 points above Gaston County
- Radon levels in Lincoln County, NCEPA zone 2
29.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 708 tests · 9.9 points above Gaston 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 · 5.5 points below Gaston County
- Radon levels in Mecklenburg County, NCEPA zone 3
8.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.9 pCi/L · 3,753 tests · 10.6 points below Gaston County
Gaston County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Gaston County
Gaston County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 246,558 residents on July 1, 2025, up 7.8% from 228,640 in 2020. That works out to 693 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Gastonia, has 87,067 residents, 35.3% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 593 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 2.4 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.5.
From Gastonia to High Shoals, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Gaston County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastonia | 87,067 | +8.1% | 35.3% |
| Mount Holly | 19,033 | +7.3% | 7.7% |
| Belmont | 16,415 | +8.2% | 6.7% |
| Kings Mountainextends beyond Gaston County | 12,117 | +7.1% | Counted whole |
| Cherryville | 6,523 | +6.9% | 2.6% |
| Dallas | 6,392 | +7.5% | 2.6% |
| Bessemer City | 5,834 | +7.1% | 2.4% |
| Cramerton | 5,713 | +7.2% | 2.3% |
| Ranlo | 4,848 | +7.3% | 2.0% |
| Stanley | 4,237 | +6.7% | 1.7% |
| Lowell | 3,939 | +7.6% | 1.6% |
| McAdenville | 960 | +7.7% | 0.4% |
- High Shoals
13 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 Gaston County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Gaston County, Homes
Homes in Gaston County
Of Gaston County's 100,109 homes, 73% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 10% are in buildings of five or more homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1982 (1990 for North Carolina), and 23% date from before 1960. 66% 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 100,109 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 73% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 10% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 9% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 23% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 27% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1982 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 66% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.