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Radon Levels in Montgomery County, North Carolina

EPA puts Montgomery County in Zone 3, its lowest 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

    23.1%

    0.1 pts below NC

    Montgomery
    23.1%
    NC
    23.2%

    104 tests, 2007 to 2016

  • Median result

    2.0pCi/L

    Below action level

    Montgomery
    2.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016

  • Tests reported

    104

    56th of 73 by tests

    Montgomery
    104
    Wake
    9,664

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016

  • 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

    37 of 73

    Middle half

    Montgomery
    23.1%
    Transylvania
    48.1%

    By share, of 73 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Montgomery County

Starts at Montgomery County's median, 2.0 pCi/L

2.0pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.0 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. Montgomery County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Montgomery County, At a glance

Montgomery County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential

is EPA's lowest class, and its forecast for Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Montgomery County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Montgomery County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201410.0%
202035.7%
20210.0%
20220.0%

2022: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 35.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Montgomery 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

Montgomery County, Compared

Montgomery County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Montgomery County's 104 reported tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.0 pCi/L and a maximum of 13.5 pCi/L, and 23.1% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 23.2%: 0.1 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 104-test figure.

Among its state's counties it ranks 37th of 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Transylvania County reported the highest share (48.1%) and Columbus County the lowest (0.0%).

Below the action level, 50 tests (48.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.2% statewide, and 30 tests (28.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.6% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2020, with 14 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Montgomery County in Zone 3, a predicted county average under 2 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land low radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 0.0% in Richmond County to 27.4% in Stanly County, with Moore County, Rowan County and Randolph County below Montgomery County.

Montgomery County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2007 to 2016, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Montgomery County
Montgomery County10423.1%2.0 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled99 counties, pooled70,56623.2%Not pooled+0.1 points
United States, pooled2,666 counties, pooled1,939,02535.8%Not pooled+12.7 points
Transylvania Countyhighest in the state3,99648.1%3.7 pCi/L+25.0 points
Columbus Countylowest in the state320.0%0.1 pCi/L−23.1 points
Stanly County, NCborders it21927.4%2.4 pCi/L+4.3 points
Davidson County, NCborders it1,23526.4%1.8 pCi/L+3.3 points
Moore County, NCborders it9919.2%1.2 pCi/L−3.9 points
Rowan County, NCborders it54618.3%1.4 pCi/L−4.8 points
Randolph County, NCborders it3608.1%0.9 pCi/L−15.0 points
Richmond County, NCborders it370.0%0.6 pCi/L−23.1 points
Anson County, NCborders it190.0%0.6 pCi/L−23.1 points
Where Montgomery County's reported results fell, 2007 to 2016, laboratory, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultMontgomery County testsMontgomery County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L5048.1%55.2%39.6%−7.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L3028.8%21.6%24.6%+7.2 points
4 pCi/L and above2423.1%23.2%35.8%−0.1 points
Montgomery County ranked among the 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2007 to 2016, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Rutherford County32 of 7348126.6%2.4 pCi/L
Davidson County33 of 731,23526.4%1.8 pCi/L
Caswell County34 of 733925.6%2.1 pCi/L
Mitchell County35 of 7354325.2%1.7 pCi/L
Catawba County36 of 731,07524.8%2.0 pCi/L
Montgomery County37 of 7310423.1%2.0 pCi/L
Iredell County38 of 731,09022.5%1.8 pCi/L
Franklin County39 of 7319722.3%1.4 pCi/L
Gaston County40 of 7354222.3%1.6 pCi/L
Stokes County41 of 7348121.2%1.9 pCi/L
Moore County42 of 739919.2%1.2 pCi/L
Montgomery 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%0.1 pCi/L0.1 pCi/L10.7%Level
202120.0%0.6 pCi/L1.0 pCi/L14.9%−35.7 points
20201435.7%3.3 pCi/L8.8 pCi/L21.1%+25.7 points
20141010.0%2.4 pCi/L4.0 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Montgomery County, Geology

The ground under Montgomery County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Montgomery County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. The map puts 82.1% of Montgomery County in the area it calls Carolina Slate Belt and 9.4% in Wadesboro Subbasin, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 6 and the second 8, both in the low band (5 to 8).

USGS's geologic areas under Montgomery County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Carolina Slate BeltFelsic metavolcanics, intermediate volcanics, metamudstone, argillite, and epiclastic rocks.Low682.1%
Wadesboro SubbasinArkosic sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate.Low89.4%
Inner Coastal PlainFossiliferous clay and sand, shelly sand, sandy marl, and limestone.Low88.5%

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

Montgomery County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Montgomery County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, Anson County the most at 31.1%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Montgomery County, the 7 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Montgomery CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Stanly CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Randolph CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Moore CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Anson CountyZone 368.9%31.1%None
Richmond CountyZone 378.0%22.0%None
Davidson CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
Rowan CountyZone 3100%NoneNone
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

Montgomery County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Montgomery 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

Montgomery County, Questions

Questions about radon in Montgomery County

Are radon levels high in Montgomery County?

In 2022, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Montgomery County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 73 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 36 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.2%.

Which counties border Montgomery County?

Montgomery County borders 7 counties: Stanly County, Randolph County, Moore County, Anson County, Richmond County, Davidson County and Rowan County.

Products

Montgomery County, Products

Testing a home in Montgomery County

In Montgomery County, 23.1% of 104 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 23.2% 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 Montgomery County.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Montgomery County homes, compared

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Montgomery County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Montgomery County

Calculated by Radon411

Montgomery County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Montgomery County

The Census Bureau estimates 26,403 residents in Montgomery County for July 1, 2025, 703 more than in 2020 (+2.7%). That works out to 54 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Troy, the largest, has 3,020 residents, 11.4% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 104 tests over 2007 to 2016, or 3.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.3.

From Troy to Candor, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Montgomery County's.

The cities and towns in Montgomery County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Troy3,020+6.4%11.4%
Biscoe1,887+2.7%7.1%
Mount Gilead1,187+1.2%4.5%
Star824+1.2%3.1%
Candorextends beyond Montgomery County823+1.6%Counted whole

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 Montgomery County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Montgomery County, Homes

Homes in Montgomery County

Of Montgomery County's 14,930 homes, 66% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 28% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1983, close to North Carolina's 1990: 20% date from before 1960 and 23% from 2000 or later. 73% 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 Montgomery County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesMontgomery CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units14,9304,815,195
Detached houses66%65%
In buildings of 5 or more2%14%
Mobile homes28%11%
Built before 196020%14%
Built since 200023%33%
Middle year built19831990
Owner-occupied73%66%

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