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Radon Levels in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

EPA puts Mecklenburg County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 17 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

    8.5%

    14.1 pts below NC

    Mecklenburg
    8.5%
    NC
    22.6%

    3,753 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    0.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    Mecklenburg
    0.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    3,753

    7th of 75 by tests

    Mecklenburg
    3,753
    Wake
    9,694

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 3

    Lower potential

    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. Zone 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in NC

    55 of 75

    Middle half

    Mecklenburg
    8.5%
    Transylvania
    47.8%

    By share, of 75 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Mecklenburg County

Starts at Mecklenburg County's median, 0.9 pCi/L

0.9pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 0.9 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. Mecklenburg County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Mecklenburg County, At a glance

Mecklenburg County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential

is EPA's lowest class, and its forecast for Mecklenburg County as a whole is an average indoor of less than 2 pCi/L (less than 75 Bq/m³). A low zone clears no address in it: homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: Low across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Mecklenburg County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Mecklenburg County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Mecklenburg County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
20146.3%
20203.8%
20215.4%
20220.0%

2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 6.3%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 17 tests were reported to CDC for Mecklenburg 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

Mecklenburg County, Compared

Mecklenburg County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Mecklenburg County reports fewer high tests than North Carolina overall. 8.5% of its 3,753 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 14.1 points below the 22.6% pooled from 99 North Carolina counties.

The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 17 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 3,753-test figure.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 55th of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Mecklenburg County sits 27.2 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 8.8% in Cabarrus County to 29.0% in Lincoln County. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 8.5% share point the same way here.

Half the tests came in under 0.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 44.0 pCi/L. The rest split 77.5% under 2 pCi/L and 14.0% from 2 to 4 (North Carolina: 55.6% and 21.8%). Year by year, 2014 opened at 6.3% and 2021 closed at 5.4% (about level), with 2014 the high at 6.3%.

The busiest year on file was 2020, with 716 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 17.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Mecklenburg County against North Carolina2014 to 2021, years with 30 or more tests: Mecklenburg County 6.3% to 5.4%, the state's pooled share 14.9% in 2021.
Mecklenburg CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Mecklenburg County against North Carolina: data table
YearTestsMecklenburg County, at or above 4 pCi/LNorth Carolina, pooled
20145846.3%21.9%
20207163.8%21.1%
20215035.4%14.9%
Mecklenburg County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County3,7538.5%0.9 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled99 counties, pooled73,13922.6%Not pooled+14.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+27.2 points
Transylvania Countyhighest in the state3,86247.8%3.7 pCi/L+39.3 points
Nash Countylowest in the state300.0%0.2 pCi/L−8.5 points
Lincoln County, NCborders it70829.0%2.4 pCi/L+20.5 points
Iredell County, NCborders it1,14621.8%1.8 pCi/L+13.3 points
Gaston County, NCborders it59319.1%1.5 pCi/L+10.6 points
York County, SCborders it1,41213.6%1.2 pCi/L+5.1 points
Lancaster County, SCborders it37413.6%1.6 pCi/L+5.1 points
Union County, NCborders it83611.2%1.1 pCi/L+2.7 points
Cabarrus County, NCborders it8808.8%1.0 pCi/L+0.3 points
Where Mecklenburg County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultMecklenburg County testsMecklenburg County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L2,90877.5%55.6%39.6%+21.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L52614.0%21.8%24.7%−7.8 points
4 pCi/L and above3198.5%22.6%35.7%−14.1 points
Mecklenburg 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
Chatham County50 of 7558710.9%1.1 pCi/L
Orange County51 of 751,09510.7%1.1 pCi/L
Granville County52 of 7515310.5%0.8 pCi/L
Wake County53 of 759,6949.6%1.0 pCi/L
Cabarrus County54 of 758808.8%1.0 pCi/L
Mecklenburg County55 of 753,7538.5%0.9 pCi/L
Johnston County56 of 756688.2%0.7 pCi/L
Wayne County57 of 75498.2%0.6 pCi/L
Guilford County58 of 756,8707.9%0.9 pCi/L
Randolph County59 of 754227.1%0.9 pCi/L
Durham County60 of 751,5704.3%0.7 pCi/L
Mecklenburg County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
2022170.0%0.1 pCi/L2.0 pCi/L10.7%−5.4 points
20215035.4%0.1 pCi/L20.0 pCi/L14.9%+1.6 points
20207163.8%0.5 pCi/L15.9 pCi/L21.1%−2.5 points
20145846.3%0.4 pCi/L16.6 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Mecklenburg County, Geology

The ground under Mecklenburg County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Mecklenburg County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Charlotte Belt, to which USGS gives a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8).

USGS's geologic areas under Mecklenburg County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Charlotte BeltIgneous rocks, including granite, gabbro, and diorite.Low899.9%

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

Mecklenburg County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Mecklenburg County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 5 have more moderate-potential ground, Lincoln County the most at 83.0%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Mecklenburg County, the 7 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Mecklenburg CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Cabarrus CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Union CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Gaston CountyZone 236.5%63.5%None
York County, SCZone 279.0%21.0%None
Lincoln CountyZone 217.0%83.0%None
Lancaster County, SCZone 383.7%16.3%None
Iredell CountyZone 232.4%67.6%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

Mecklenburg County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Mecklenburg 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

Mecklenburg County, Questions

Questions about radon in Mecklenburg County

Are radon levels high in Mecklenburg County?

In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Mecklenburg 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, 54 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.

Which counties border Mecklenburg County?

Mecklenburg County borders 7 counties: Cabarrus County, NC, Union County, NC, Gaston County, NC, York County, SC, Lincoln County, NC, Lancaster County, SC and Iredell County, NC.

Products

Mecklenburg County, Products

Testing a home in Mecklenburg County

In Mecklenburg County, 8.5% of 3,753 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.6% pooled across North Carolina. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Mecklenburg County.

Test kits and monitors3

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Best radon monitors for Mecklenburg County homes, compared

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Mecklenburg County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Mecklenburg County

Calculated by Radon411

Mecklenburg County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Mecklenburg County

Mecklenburg County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 1,233,383 residents on July 1, 2025, up 10.5% from 1,116,183 in 2020. Packed into its land, that is 2,356 people per square mile. Charlotte alone is home to 964,784 of them, 78.2% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 3,753 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 3.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.5.

From Charlotte to Midland, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Mecklenburg County's.

The cities and towns in Mecklenburg County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Charlotte964,784+10.3%78.2%
Huntersville68,535+11.2%5.6%
Cornelius35,094+11.4%2.8%
Matthews32,769+11.0%2.7%
Mint Hillextends beyond Mecklenburg County29,476+11.1%Counted whole
Stallingsextends beyond Mecklenburg County17,760+9.7%Counted whole
Davidsonextends beyond Mecklenburg County16,662+11.9%Counted whole
Weddingtonextends beyond Mecklenburg County14,517+9.6%Counted whole
Pineville11,851+11.4%1.0%
Midlandextends beyond Mecklenburg County5,151+9.4%Counted whole

10 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 Mecklenburg County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Mecklenburg County, Homes

Homes in Mecklenburg County

Of Mecklenburg County's 491,721 homes, 56% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 31% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1996, close to North Carolina's 1990: 9% date from before 1960 and 43% from 2000 or later. 56% 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 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesMecklenburg CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units491,7214,815,195
Detached houses56%65%
In buildings of 5 or more31%14%
Mobile homes1%11%
Built before 19609%14%
Built since 200043%33%
Middle year built19961990
Owner-occupied56%66%

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