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Radon Levels in Macon County, North Carolina

EPA puts Macon County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 4 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

    17.1%

    5.5 pts below NC

    Macon
    17.1%
    NC
    22.6%

    1,354 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.4pCi/L

    Below action level

    Macon
    1.4 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    1,354

    10th of 75 by tests

    Macon
    1,354
    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

    45 of 75

    Middle half

    Macon
    17.1%
    Transylvania
    47.8%

    By share, of 75 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Macon County

Starts at Macon County's median, 1.4 pCi/L

1.4pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.4 pCi/L

Below 2 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 below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Macon County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Macon County, At a glance

Macon County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Macon 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 Macon County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Macon County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Macon County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201412.5%
202019.4%
202119.8%
20220.0%

2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 19.8%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 4 tests were reported to CDC for Macon 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

Macon County, Compared

Macon County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Macon County's 1,354 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.4 pCi/L and a maximum of 51.6 pCi/L, and 17.1% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 5.5 points higher than here.

The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 4 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,354-test figure.

Among its state's counties it ranks 45th 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, 864 tests (63.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 259 tests (19.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 433 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 4.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Macon 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 26.1% in Rabun County, GA to 44.0% in Swain County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share rose 7.3 points, from 12.5% in 2014 to 19.8% in 2021; its peak was 19.8% in 2021.

CDC also counts 21 tests taken after mitigation in Macon 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, Macon County against North Carolina2014 to 2021, years with 30 or more tests: Macon County 12.5% to 19.8%, the state's pooled share 14.9% in 2021.
Macon CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Macon County against North Carolina: data table
YearTestsMacon County, at or above 4 pCi/LNorth Carolina, pooled
201431312.5%21.9%
202043319.4%21.1%
202117719.8%14.9%
Macon County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Macon County
Macon County1,35417.1%1.4 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled99 counties, pooled73,13922.6%Not pooled+5.5 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+18.6 points
Transylvania Countyhighest in the state3,86247.8%3.7 pCi/L+30.7 points
Nash Countylowest in the state300.0%0.2 pCi/L−17.1 points
Swain County, NCborders it11644.0%3.4 pCi/L+26.9 points
Cherokee County, NCborders it1,04543.2%3.4 pCi/L+26.1 points
Clay County, NCborders it32343.0%3.0 pCi/L+25.9 points
Oconee County, SCborders it2,46942.6%3.3 pCi/L+25.5 points
Graham County, NCborders it6942.0%3.0 pCi/L+24.9 points
Jackson County, NCborders it1,02627.7%2.2 pCi/L+10.6 points
Rabun County, GAborders it6926.1%2.0 pCi/L+9.0 points
Where Macon County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultMacon County testsMacon County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L86463.8%55.6%39.6%+8.2 points
2 to 4 pCi/L25919.1%21.8%24.7%−2.7 points
4 pCi/L and above23117.1%22.6%35.7%−5.5 points
Macon 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
Franklin County40 of 7520419.1%1.4 pCi/L
Gaston County41 of 7559319.1%1.5 pCi/L
Rowan County42 of 7562617.7%1.4 pCi/L
Davie County43 of 7569417.4%1.7 pCi/L
Person County44 of 7519017.4%1.3 pCi/L
Macon County45 of 751,35417.1%1.4 pCi/L
Madison County46 of 7522816.7%1.3 pCi/L
Caswell County47 of 754714.9%1.6 pCi/L
Vance County48 of 7510914.7%1.5 pCi/L
Union County49 of 7583611.2%1.1 pCi/L
Chatham County50 of 7558710.9%1.1 pCi/L
Macon County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
202240.0%2.0 pCi/L3.0 pCi/L10.7%−19.8 points
202117719.8%1.0 pCi/L18.0 pCi/L14.9%+0.4 points
202043319.4%1.0 pCi/L16.0 pCi/L21.1%+6.9 points
201431312.5%1.0 pCi/L26.7 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Macon County, Geology

The ground under Macon County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Macon County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 68.1% of Macon County in the area it calls Blue Ridge and 31.9% in Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South). USGS gives the first a radon index of 10 and the second 9, both in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Macon County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1068.1%
Georgiabama Thrust Stack (South)Schist, amphibolite and granite.Moderate931.9%

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

Macon County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Macon County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Oconee County, SC the most at 11.0%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Macon County, the 7 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Macon CountyZone 2None100%None
Clay CountyZone 2None100%None
Jackson CountyZone 2None100%None
Swain CountyZone 2None100%None
Rabun County, GAZone 2None100%None
Graham CountyZone 2None100%None
Cherokee CountyZone 1None100%None
Oconee County, SCZone 2None89.0%11.0%
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

Macon County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Macon 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

Macon County, Questions

Questions about radon in Macon County

Are radon levels high in Macon County?

In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Macon 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, 44 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.

Which counties border Macon County?

Macon County borders 7 counties: Clay County, NC, Jackson County, NC, Swain County, NC, Rabun County, GA, Graham County, NC, Cherokee County, NC and Oconee County, SC.

Products

Macon County, Products

Testing a home in Macon County

In Macon County, 17.1% of 1,354 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 Macon County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Macon County homes, compared

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Macon County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Macon County

Calculated by Radon411

Macon County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Macon County

Macon County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 39,232 residents on July 1, 2025, up 5.8% from 37,085 in 2020. That works out to 76 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Franklin, the largest, has 4,403 residents, 11.2% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,354 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 34.5 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.

From Franklin to Highlands, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Macon County's.

The cities and towns in Macon County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Franklin4,403+5.5%11.2%
Highlandsextends beyond Macon County1,127+5.4%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 Macon County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Macon County, Homes

Homes in Macon County

Of Macon County's 27,070 homes, 75% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 16% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to North Carolina's 1990: 11% date from before 1960 and 24% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 76% of the occupied homes (North Carolina: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Macon County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesMacon CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units27,0704,815,195
Detached houses75%65%
In buildings of 5 or more4%14%
Mobile homes16%11%
Built before 196011%14%
Built since 200024%33%
Middle year built19871990
Owner-occupied76%66%

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