Locations and reports
Radon in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh lies in 2 counties, in EPA Zones 2 and 3; 99.7% of it is in Wake County, where 2.3% of 88 reported tests (2022) were at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so the only way to know your home's level is to test it.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
2.3%
8.4 pts below NC
- Wake
- 2.3%
- NC
- 10.7%
Wake, 2nd of 4 in NC, 2022
Median result
0.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Wake
- 0.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of Wake's tests, 2022
Highest county
4.3%
Durham
- Durham
- 4.3%
- Wake
- 2.3%
2 counties, 2 with 30+ tests, 2022
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
Wake; Durham Zone 3
Tests reported
88
In Wake
- Wake
- 88
- Durham
- 1,570
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2022
Read a result for Raleigh
Starts at Wake County's median, 0.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.2 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. 0.1 pCi/L above Wake County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.
The data
Raleigh, What is published
What is published for Raleigh
Every figure for Raleigh is a county's
Radon data is published by county, not by city, and Raleigh reaches into 2 counties: Wake County and Durham County. Each has its own EPA zone and its own CDC test figures, set side by side below and each labelled with its county. Only a test tells you about one home.
Raleigh covers 147 square miles of land: 99.7% of it lies in Wake County and 0.3% in Durham County. About 506,306 people live there, 3,442 to the square mile.
Raleigh, Counties
Raleigh's counties, side by side
MeasuredEach county's own EPA zone and its own published CDC figures for 2022, the newest period any of them has. A county without a figure for that period is shown without one, never with a figure from another year.
- Wake County
- EPA zone
- Zone 2: Moderate predicted potential
- At or above 4 pCi/L
- 2.3%
- Median result
- 0.1 pCi/L
- Tests reported
- 88 tests
- Annual years on file
- 4
- Durham County
- EPA zone
- Zone 3: Lower predicted potential
- At or above 4 pCi/L
- 0.0%
- Median result
- 0.1 pCi/L
- Tests reported
- 10 tests
- Annual years on file
- 4
| County | EPA zone | Reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L | Median reported result | Tests reported | Annual years on file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | Zone 2: Moderate predicted potential | 2.3% | 0.1 pCi/L | 88 tests | 4 |
| Durham County | Zone 3: Lower predicted potential | 0.0% | 0.1 pCi/L | 10 tests | 4 |
Raleigh spans 2 counties, each with its own EPA zone and its own CDC figure: Wake County (Zone 2, 2.3% of 88 tests) and Durham County (Zone 3, 0.0% of 10 tests).
Wake County ranks 2nd of 4 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for that period, 8.4 points below the 10.7% pooled across North Carolina's counties, 21.6 points below the national pool of 23.9%. Of the city's other county, Durham County reported 0.0%.
Measured from the middle of Raleigh, the nearest counties with a CDC figure for 2022 are Wayne County (48 miles, 1.5% of 67 tests), Pitt County (73 miles, 0.9% of 116 tests) and Buncombe County (219 miles, 38.0% of 50 tests). Their shares run from 0.9% to 38.0%.
No business in the directory gives Raleigh as its address; the North Carolina list covers it. North Carolina's other cities with a page of their own: Asheville, Charlotte, Boone and Greensboro.
Against North Carolina and its other counties
Shares of tests people chose to run and report, by county (2022); the state's is its counties' counts added up, calculated by Radon411. Only a test measures a home.
The counties around Raleigh
By distance from the middle of Raleigh; counties with 30 or more tests.
The median reported pre-mitigation result for 2022 was 0.1 pCi/L in Wake County and 0.1 pCi/L in Durham County.
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones, by county. Measured: CDC tracking data, by county, 2022.
Raleigh, Geology
The ground under Raleigh
PredictedMost of the ground under Raleigh is one class on USGS's geologic map: 97.4% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 2.6% low. 97.4% of it lies in the area the map calls Raleigh Belt, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh Belt | Proterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and mica schist. | Moderate | 11 | 97.4% |
| Sanford-Durham Sub-Basins | Arkosic sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate. | Low | 8 | 2.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Raleigh beside its counties and North Carolina
Raleigh sits on more moderate-potential ground than Wake County as a whole: 97.4% of the city against 79.4% of the county. Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Raleigh's is.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Raleigh, Homes
Homes in Raleigh
Raleigh has 218,200 homes, and many share a building: 35% are in buildings of five or more, 44% are detached houses, against 59% across Wake County. Half of its homes were built before 1996, close to Wake County's 1999: 8% date from before 1960 and 43% from 2000 or later. 51% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Wake County: 64%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Raleigh | Wake County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 218,200 | 481,999 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 44% | 59% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 35% | 24% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 1% | 3% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 8% | 6% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 43% | 48% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1996 | 1999 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 51% | 64% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.
Local help
Raleigh, Local resources
Local resources for Raleigh
Who to ask in North Carolina: its radon program, test kits and professionals.
- North Carolina Radon ProgramRun by NCDHHS.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in North CarolinaRadon testers and mitigators in North Carolina, each with how its listing was checked.
The program's own words on licensing are on the North Carolina page.
What it means
Raleigh, Questions
Questions about radon in Raleigh
What radon zone is Raleigh in?
A zone line runs through Raleigh: Wake County in Zone 2 and Durham County in Zone 3. 99.7% of the city's land is in Wake County, so Zone 2 covers most addresses. Which zone applies depends on the county an address is in.
What are radon levels in Raleigh?
Reported levels around Raleigh run low: 2.3% of 88 tests from Wake County for 2022 reached 4 pCi/L. The median reported result was 0.1 pCi/L. Low is not none. Durham County reported 0.0% of 10 tests; the counties are kept apart.
Should I test my home in Raleigh?
Yes, even here. Wake County reported 2 of 88 tests at or above 4 pCi/L. That is below North Carolina's pooled 10.7%, and still not a reason to skip it. Testing found those homes; the county's low share did not. How to test a home.
What ground is Raleigh built on, as far as radon goes?
USGS's geologic map puts all of Raleigh on one named area, "Raleigh Belt", rated moderate for radon potential, radon index 11.
Is radon higher in the counties around Raleigh?
It depends which way you go. 1 of the 3 nearest counties with a figure report a larger share than Wake County's 2.3% and 2 a smaller one: from Pitt County (0.9%, 73 miles off) to Buncombe County (38.0%, 219 miles off).
The answers use the published figures of Wake County and Durham County, the counties Raleigh lies in.
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