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Radon Levels in Jackson County, North Carolina

EPA puts Jackson County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 9 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    27.7%

    5.1 pts above NC

    Jackson
    27.7%
    NC
    22.6%

    1,026 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.2pCi/L

    Below action level

    Jackson
    2.2 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    1,026

    17th of 75 by tests

    Jackson
    1,026
    Wake
    9,694

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in NC

    28 of 75

    Middle half

    Jackson
    27.7%
    Transylvania
    47.8%

    By share, of 75 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Jackson County

Starts at Jackson County's median, 2.2 pCi/L

2.2pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 2.2 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 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. Jackson County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Jackson County, At a glance

Jackson County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Jackson County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

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 Jackson County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Jackson County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Jackson County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201418.9%
202026.7%
202121.1%
202233.3%

2022: 33.3%. Across these years the share ran from 18.9% to 33.3%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 9 tests were reported to CDC for Jackson 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).

How to read these figures

Jackson County, Compared

Jackson County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Jackson County's 1,026 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.2 pCi/L and a maximum of 57.4 pCi/L, and 27.7% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 5.1 points lower than here.

The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 9 tests (33.3% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,026-test figure.

Among its state's counties it ranks 28th 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, 469 tests (45.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 273 tests (26.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 352 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 9.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Jackson County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 17.1% in Macon County to 47.8% in Transylvania County, with Rabun County, GA and Macon County below Jackson County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share rose 2.2 points, from 18.9% in 2014 to 21.1% in 2021; its peak was 26.7% in 2020.

CDC also counts 46 tests taken after mitigation in Jackson County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Jackson County against North Carolina2014 to 2021, years with 30 or more tests: Jackson County 18.9% to 21.1%, the state's pooled share 14.9% in 2021.
Jackson CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Jackson County against North Carolina: data table
YearTestsJackson County, at or above 4 pCi/LNorth Carolina, pooled
201423318.9%21.9%
202035226.7%21.1%
202123721.1%14.9%
Jackson County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Jackson County
Jackson County1,02627.7%2.2 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled99 counties, pooled73,13922.6%Not pooled−5.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+8.0 points
Watauga Countyhighest in the state1,21545.1%3.5 pCi/L+17.4 points
Nash Countylowest in the state300.0%0.2 pCi/L−27.7 points
Transylvania County, NCborders it3,86247.8%3.7 pCi/L+20.1 points
Swain County, NCborders it11644.0%3.4 pCi/L+16.3 points
Oconee County, SCborders it2,46942.6%3.3 pCi/L+14.9 points
Haywood County, NCborders it1,87230.6%2.2 pCi/L+2.9 points
Rabun County, GAborders it6926.1%2.0 pCi/L−1.6 points
Macon County, NCborders it1,35417.1%1.4 pCi/L−10.6 points
Where Jackson County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultJackson County testsJackson County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L46945.7%55.6%39.6%−9.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L27326.6%21.8%24.7%+4.8 points
4 pCi/L and above28427.7%22.6%35.7%+5.1 points
Jackson County ranked among the 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Lincoln County23 of 7570829.0%2.4 pCi/L
Forsyth County24 of 756,27328.9%2.3 pCi/L
Yadkin County25 of 7519928.6%2.2 pCi/L
Mitchell County26 of 7543328.6%2.1 pCi/L
Burke County27 of 7594028.3%2.4 pCi/L
Jackson County28 of 751,02627.7%2.2 pCi/L
Caldwell County29 of 7586127.6%2.5 pCi/L
Rockingham County30 of 7583527.3%2.1 pCi/L
Dare County31 of 754126.8%0.1 pCi/L
Rutherford County32 of 7551125.6%2.4 pCi/L
Davidson County33 of 751,26525.5%1.8 pCi/L
Jackson County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
2022933.3%2.0 pCi/L10.0 pCi/L10.7%+12.2 points
202123721.1%1.0 pCi/L25.0 pCi/L14.9%−5.6 points
202035226.7%1.1 pCi/L68.4 pCi/L21.1%+7.8 points
201423318.9%1.0 pCi/L16.1 pCi/L21.9%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Jackson County, Geology

The ground under Jackson County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Jackson County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 61.1% of Jackson County in the area it calls Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South) and 38.9% in Blue Ridge. USGS gives the first a radon index of 9 and the second 10, both in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Jackson County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South)Schist, amphibolite and granite.Moderate961.1%
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1038.9%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Jackson County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Jackson County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Transylvania County the most at 52.0%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Jackson County, the 6 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Jackson CountyZone 2None100%None
Transylvania CountyZone 1None48.0%52.0%
Macon CountyZone 2None100%None
Haywood CountyZone 2None100%None
Swain CountyZone 2None100%None
Oconee County, SCZone 2None89.0%11.0%
Rabun County, GAZone 2None100%None
North Carolina100 counties, pooled by land areaVaries64.8%33.0%1.3%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Jackson County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Jackson County

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

Jackson County, Questions

Questions about radon in Jackson County

Are radon levels high in Jackson County?

In 2022, 33.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 27 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.

Which counties border Jackson County?

Jackson County borders 6 counties: Transylvania County, NC, Macon County, NC, Haywood County, NC, Swain County, NC, Oconee County, SC and Rabun County, GA.

Products

Jackson County, Products

Testing a home in Jackson County

In Jackson County, 27.7% of 1,026 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 Jackson County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Jackson County homes, compared

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Jackson County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Jackson County

Calculated by Radon411

Jackson County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Jackson County

Jackson County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 45,039 residents on July 1, 2025, up 6.9% from 42,142 in 2020. That works out to 92 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Sylva, the largest, has 2,691 residents, 6.0% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,026 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 22.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.

From Sylva to Dillsboro, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Jackson County's.

The cities and towns in Jackson County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Sylva2,691+4.3%6.0%
Highlandsextends beyond Jackson County1,127+5.4%Counted whole
Webster387+3.8%0.9%
Forest Hills325+4.5%0.7%
Dillsboro217+4.3%0.5%

5 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). A place that extends beyond Jackson County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Jackson County, Homes

Homes in Jackson County

Of Jackson County's 27,385 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 17% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1990, close to North Carolina's 1990: 12% date from before 1960 and 33% from 2000 or later. 63% 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 in Jackson County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesJackson CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units27,3854,815,195
Detached houses70%65%
In buildings of 5 or more8%14%
Mobile homes17%11%
Built before 196012%14%
Built since 200033%33%
Middle year built19901990
Owner-occupied63%66%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.