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Radon Levels in Lincoln County, North Carolina

EPA puts Lincoln County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is 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

    29.0%

    6.4 pts above NC

    Lincoln
    29.0%
    NC
    22.6%

    708 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.4pCi/L

    Below action level

    Lincoln
    2.4 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    708

    25th of 75 by tests

    Lincoln
    708
    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

    23 of 75

    Middle half

    Lincoln
    29.0%
    Transylvania
    47.8%

    By share, of 75 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Lincoln County

Starts at Lincoln County's median, 2.4 pCi/L

2.4pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.4 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. Lincoln County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Lincoln County, At a glance

Lincoln County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Lincoln 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 83% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Lincoln County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Lincoln County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Lincoln County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201429.8%
202015.7%
202110.9%
2022100.0%

2022: 100.0%. Across these years the share ran from 10.9% 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 Lincoln 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

Lincoln County, Compared

Lincoln County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Lincoln County's 708 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.4 pCi/L and a maximum of 73.5 pCi/L, and 29.0% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 6.4 points lower than here.

The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 1 test (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 708-test figure.

Among its state's counties it ranks 23rd 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, 300 tests (42.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 203 tests (28.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 166 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Lincoln County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 83% 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 Burke County, Catawba County and Iredell County below Lincoln County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 18.9 points, from 29.8% in 2014 to 10.9% in 2021; its peak was 29.8% in 2014.

CDC also counts 80 tests taken after mitigation in Lincoln 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, Lincoln County against North Carolina2014 to 2021, years with 30 or more tests: Lincoln County 29.8% to 10.9%, the state's pooled share 14.9% in 2021.
Lincoln CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Lincoln County against North Carolina: data table
YearTestsLincoln County, at or above 4 pCi/LNorth Carolina, pooled
201410429.8%21.9%
202016615.7%21.1%
20219210.9%14.9%
Lincoln County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Lincoln County
Lincoln County70829.0%2.4 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled99 counties, pooled73,13922.6%Not pooled−6.4 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+6.7 points
Transylvania Countyhighest in the state3,86247.8%3.7 pCi/L+18.8 points
Nash Countylowest in the state300.0%0.2 pCi/L−29.0 points
Cleveland County, NCborders it51139.5%2.8 pCi/L+10.5 points
Burke County, NCborders it94028.3%2.4 pCi/L−0.7 points
Catawba County, NCborders it1,25924.8%2.0 pCi/L−4.2 points
Iredell County, NCborders it1,14621.8%1.8 pCi/L−7.2 points
Gaston County, NCborders it59319.1%1.5 pCi/L−9.9 points
Mecklenburg County, NCborders it3,7538.5%0.9 pCi/L−20.5 points
Where Lincoln County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultLincoln County testsLincoln County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L30042.4%55.6%39.6%−13.2 points
2 to 4 pCi/L20328.7%21.8%24.7%+6.9 points
4 pCi/L and above20529.0%22.6%35.7%+6.4 points
Lincoln 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
Alexander County18 of 7531132.8%2.5 pCi/L
Yancey County19 of 7529031.0%1.9 pCi/L
Haywood County20 of 751,87230.6%2.2 pCi/L
Polk County21 of 7559429.8%2.4 pCi/L
Buncombe County22 of 756,35929.0%2.3 pCi/L
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
Lincoln County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
20221100.0%17.0 pCi/L17.0 pCi/L10.7%+89.1 points
20219210.9%1.0 pCi/L13.0 pCi/L14.9%−4.8 points
202016615.7%1.0 pCi/L21.0 pCi/L21.1%−14.1 points
201410429.8%2.0 pCi/L25.0 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Lincoln County, Geology

The ground under Lincoln County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Lincoln County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 83.0% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 17.0% low. The map puts 54.2% of Lincoln County in the area it calls Inner Piedmont Belt and 28.8% in Kings Mountain Belt, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Lincoln County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Inner Piedmont BeltProterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and schist, and mica schist.Moderate1154.2%
Kings Mountain BeltProterozoic-Cambrain metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks.Moderate1128.8%
Charlotte BeltIgneous rocks, including granite, gabbro, and diorite.Low817.0%

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

Lincoln County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Lincoln County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Burke County the most at 5.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Lincoln County, the 6 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Lincoln CountyZone 217.0%83.0%None
Gaston CountyZone 236.5%63.5%None
Catawba CountyZone 22.6%97.4%None
Cleveland CountyZone 2None100%None
Iredell CountyZone 232.4%67.6%None
Mecklenburg CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Burke CountyZone 2None94.2%5.8%
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

Lincoln County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Lincoln 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

Lincoln County, Questions

Questions about radon in Lincoln County

Are radon levels high in Lincoln County?

In 2022, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Lincoln County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 17.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 22 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.

Which counties border Lincoln County?

Lincoln County borders 6 counties: Gaston County, Catawba County, Cleveland County, Iredell County, Mecklenburg County and Burke County.

Products

Lincoln County, Products

Testing a home in Lincoln County

In Lincoln County, 29.0% of 708 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 Lincoln County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Lincoln County homes, compared

Explore

Lincoln County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Lincoln County

Calculated by Radon411

Lincoln County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Lincoln County

Lincoln County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 98,654 residents on July 1, 2025, up 13.2% from 87,153 in 2020. That works out to 333 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Lincolnton, the largest, has 12,465 residents, 12.6% of the total. CDC's 708 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 7.2 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 6.5.

From Lincolnton to Maiden, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Lincoln County's.

The cities and towns in Lincoln County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Lincolnton12,465+12.0%12.6%
Maidenextends beyond Lincoln County3,922+6.1%Counted whole

2 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 Lincoln County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Lincoln County, Homes

Homes in Lincoln County

Of Lincoln County's 38,589 homes, 74% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 16% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1993, close to North Carolina's 1990: 14% date from before 1960 and 36% 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 in Lincoln County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesLincoln CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units38,5894,815,195
Detached houses74%65%
In buildings of 5 or more4%14%
Mobile homes16%11%
Built before 196014%14%
Built since 200036%33%
Middle year built19931990
Owner-occupied78%66%

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