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Radon Levels in Mitchell County, North Carolina

EPA puts Mitchell County in Zone 1, its highest 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

    21.4%

    2.6 pts below NC

    Mitchell
    21.4%
    NC
    24.0%

    665 tests, 2005 to 2014

  • Median result

    1.5pCi/L

    Below action level

    Mitchell
    1.5 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2005 to 2014

  • Tests reported

    665

    18th of 66 by tests

    Mitchell
    665
    Wake
    8,937

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2005 to 2014

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in NC

    37 of 66

    Middle half

    Mitchell
    21.4%
    Transylvania
    49.3%

    By share, of 66 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Mitchell County

Starts at Mitchell County's median, 1.5 pCi/L

1.5pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.5 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. Mitchell County's median reported result, 2005 to 2014.

Interpret this reading

The data

Mitchell County, At a glance

Mitchell County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Mitchell County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

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 Mitchell County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Mitchell County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Mitchell County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201425.5%
202046.9%
202115.0%
20220.0%

2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 46.9%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Mitchell 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

Mitchell County, Compared

Mitchell County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Mitchell County's 665 reported tests over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 44.4 pCi/L, and 21.4% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (96 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 24.0%: 2.6 points higher than here.

The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 665-test figure.

Among its state's counties it ranks 37th of 66 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Transylvania County reported the highest share (49.3%) and Lee County the lowest (0.0%).

Below the action level, 382 tests (57.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 54.4% statewide, and 141 tests (21.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.6% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2014, with 55 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Mitchell County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 25.5% in Yancey County to 47.7% in Carter County, TN.

Mitchell County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2005 to 2014, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Mitchell County
Mitchell County66521.4%1.5 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled96 counties, pooled59,04324.0%Not pooled+2.6 points
United States, pooled2,655 counties, pooled1,669,35336.0%Not pooled+14.6 points
Transylvania Countyhighest in the state3,83749.3%3.9 pCi/L+27.9 points
Lee Countylowest in the state300.0%1.0 pCi/L−21.4 points
Carter County, TNborders it23947.7%3.7 pCi/L+26.3 points
Unicoi County, TNborders it9139.6%2.8 pCi/L+18.2 points
McDowell County, NCborders it63037.0%2.6 pCi/L+15.6 points
Avery County, NCborders it12631.0%2.0 pCi/L+9.6 points
Yancey County, NCborders it33025.5%1.8 pCi/L+4.1 points
Where Mitchell County's reported results fell, 2005 to 2014, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultMitchell County testsMitchell County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L38257.4%54.4%39.8%+3.0 points
2 to 4 pCi/L14121.2%21.6%24.2%−0.4 points
4 pCi/L and above14221.4%24.0%36.0%−2.6 points
Mitchell County ranked among the 66 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2005 to 2014, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Yancey County32 of 6633025.5%1.8 pCi/L
Gaston County33 of 6642525.4%1.9 pCi/L
Franklin County34 of 6614524.1%1.5 pCi/L
Iredell County35 of 6691822.0%1.8 pCi/L
Stokes County36 of 6625522.0%1.9 pCi/L
Mitchell County37 of 6666521.4%1.5 pCi/L
Montgomery County38 of 668420.2%2.0 pCi/L
Rowan County39 of 6638318.3%1.4 pCi/L
Person County40 of 6612118.2%1.4 pCi/L
Moore County41 of 668017.5%1.2 pCi/L
Macon County42 of 661,02617.3%1.3 pCi/L
Mitchell County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
202210.0%2.0 pCi/L2.0 pCi/L10.7%−15.0 points
20212015.0%1.0 pCi/L9.0 pCi/L14.9%−31.9 points
20204946.9%3.4 pCi/L45.0 pCi/L21.1%+21.4 points
20145525.5%2.0 pCi/L12.4 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Mitchell County, Geology

The ground under Mitchell County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Mitchell County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 99.9% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 0.1% high. 99.5% 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).

USGS's geologic areas under Mitchell County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1099.5%

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

Mitchell County beside the ground around it

On high-potential ground Mitchell County is close to North Carolina as a whole: 0.1% of its land against 1.3%. Of the 5 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Unicoi County, TN the most at 64.5%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Mitchell County, the 5 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Mitchell CountyZone 1None99.9%0.1%
Yancey CountyZone 2None100%None
Avery CountyZone 2None100%None
McDowell CountyZone 2None75.1%24.9%
Unicoi County, TNZone 2None35.6%64.5%
Carter County, TNZone 2None39.5%60.5%
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

Mitchell County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Mitchell 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

Mitchell County, Questions

Questions about radon in Mitchell County

Are radon levels high in Mitchell County?

In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Mitchell County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 66 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 36 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.0%.

Which counties border Mitchell County?

Mitchell County borders 5 counties: Yancey County, NC, Avery County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Unicoi County, TN and Carter County, TN.

Products

Mitchell County, Products

Testing a home in Mitchell County

In Mitchell County, 21.4% of 665 tests reported to CDC over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.0% pooled across North Carolina. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Mitchell County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Mitchell County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Mitchell County

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Mitchell County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Mitchell County

Calculated by Radon411

Mitchell County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Mitchell County

The Census Bureau estimates 15,062 residents in Mitchell County for July 1, 2025, 161 more than in 2020 (+1.1%). That works out to 68 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Spruce Pine, the largest, has 2,211 residents, 14.7% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 17.8% of those residents; the other 82.2% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 665 reported tests for 2005 to 2014 come to 44.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 5.3 for North Carolina.

From Spruce Pine to Bakersville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Mitchell County's.

The cities and towns in Mitchell County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Spruce Pine2,211+1.1%14.7%
Bakersville468+1.3%3.1%

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).

Mitchell County, Homes

Homes in Mitchell County

Mitchell County is a place of houses on their own lots: 76% of its 8,673 homes are detached single-family houses, against 65% across North Carolina. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1978 (1990 for North Carolina), and 31% date from before 1960. 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 Mitchell County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesMitchell CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units8,6734,815,195
Detached houses76%65%
In buildings of 5 or more3%14%
Mobile homes16%11%
Built before 196031%14%
Built since 200017%33%
Middle year built19781990
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.