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 Graham County, North Carolina
EPA puts Graham County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 8 radon tests from it are 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
42.0%
19.4 pts above NC
- Graham
- 42.0%
- NC
- 22.6%
69 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.0pCi/L
Below action level
- Graham
- 3.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
69
63rd of 75 by tests
- Graham
- 69
- 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
9 of 75
Top quarter
- Graham
- 42.0%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Graham County
Starts at Graham County's median, 3.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.0 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. Graham County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Graham County, At a glance
Graham County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Graham 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 Graham County, 2021
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 20.0% |
| 2020 | 52.6% |
| 2021 | 12.5% |
2021: 12.5%. Across these years the share ran from 12.5% to 52.6%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 8 tests were reported to CDC for Graham 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).
Graham County, Compared
Graham County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Graham County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (29 of 69) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 6.3 points higher. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Graham County runs 19.4 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2021, counts only 8 tests (12.5% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 69-test figure.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, 4 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 1 a smaller one; the spread is 17.1% (Macon County) to 45.5% (Monroe County, TN). By share, Graham County is 9th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.0 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 73.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 22 tests (31.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 18 tests (26.1%) 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 42.0% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 19 tests reported; the quietest, 2021, had 8.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Graham County, Geology
The ground under Graham County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Graham 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 | 99.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Graham County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Graham County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Blount County, TN the most at 63.2%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Graham County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Graham 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
Graham County, Questions
Questions about radon in Graham County
Are radon levels high in Graham County?
In 2021, 12.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Graham 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, 8 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Graham County?
Graham County borders 5 counties: Swain County, NC, Cherokee County, NC, Monroe County, TN, Macon County, NC and Blount County, TN.
Products
Graham County, Products
Testing a home in Graham County
In Graham County, 42.0% of 69 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 Graham 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
Graham County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Graham 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 · 3.5 points above Graham County
- Radon levels in Swain County, NCEPA zone 2
44.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.4 pCi/L · 116 tests · 2.0 points above Graham County
- Radon levels in Cherokee County, NCEPA zone 1
43.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.4 pCi/L · 1,045 tests · 1.2 points above Graham County
- Radon levels in Blount County, TNEPA zone 1
42.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.4 pCi/L · 745 tests · 0.8 points above Graham 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 · 24.9 points below Graham County
Graham County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Graham County
The Census Bureau estimates 8,190 residents in Graham County for July 1, 2025, 151 more than in 2020 (+1.9%). That works out to 28 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Robbinsville, the largest, has 579 residents, 7.1% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 7.7% of those residents; the other 92.3% live outside any of them. CDC's 69 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 8.4 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 6.5.
From Robbinsville to Fontana Dam, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Graham County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robbinsville | 579 | −1.0% | 7.1% |
| Lake Santeetlah | 44 | +2.3% | 0.5% |
| Fontana Dam | 10 | Level | 0.1% |
3 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).
Graham County, Homes
Homes in Graham County
Of Graham County's 5,244 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 27% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to North Carolina's 1990: 11% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Graham County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 5,244 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 2% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 27% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 11% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 26% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1987 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.