Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Rowan County, North Carolina
EPA puts Rowan County in Zone 3, its lowest 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
17.7%
4.9 pts below NC
- Rowan
- 17.7%
- NC
- 22.6%
626 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
1.4pCi/L
Below action level
- Rowan
- 1.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
626
29th of 75 by tests
- Rowan
- 626
- Wake
- 9,694
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in NC
42 of 75
Middle half
- Rowan
- 17.7%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Rowan County
Starts at Rowan County's median, 1.4 pCi/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
- 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. Rowan County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Rowan County, At a glance
Rowan County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
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 Rowan County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 24.4% |
| 2020 | 7.5% |
| 2021 | 8.0% |
| 2022 | 75.0% |
2022: 75.0%. Across these years the share ran from 7.5% to 75.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 4 tests were reported to CDC for Rowan 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).
Rowan County, Compared
Rowan County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Rowan County's 626 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.4 pCi/L and a maximum of 53.7 pCi/L, and 17.7% reached 4 pCi/L. North Carolina as a whole (99 North Carolina counties, pooled) comes to 22.6%: 4.9 points higher than here.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 4 tests (75.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 626-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 42nd 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, 392 tests (62.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 123 tests (19.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2021, with 150 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 4.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Rowan 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 8.8% in Cabarrus County to 25.5% in Davidson County, with Davie County and Cabarrus County below Rowan County. Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 16.4 points, from 24.4% in 2014 to 8.0% in 2021; its peak was 24.4% in 2014.
CDC also counts 20 tests taken after mitigation in Rowan County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Rowan CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
| Year | Tests | Rowan County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 90 | 24.4% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 120 | 7.5% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 150 | 8.0% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Rowan County, Geology
The ground under Rowan County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Rowan County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. The map puts 89.5% of Rowan County in the area it calls Charlotte Belt and 10.5% in Carolina Slate Belt. USGS gives the first a radon index of 8 and the second 6, both in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Belt | Igneous rocks, including granite, gabbro, and diorite. | Low | 8 | 89.5% |
| Carolina Slate Belt | Felsic metavolcanics, intermediate volcanics, metamudstone, argillite, and epiclastic rocks. | Low | 6 | 10.5% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Rowan County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Rowan County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, Iredell County the most at 67.6%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Rowan County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Rowan County
- North Carolina Radon ProgramNorth Carolina Radon Program, run by NCDHHS, answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in North Carolina.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 Carolina2 professionals are listed in North Carolina.
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
Rowan County, Questions
Questions about radon in Rowan County
Are radon levels high in Rowan County?
In 2022, 75.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Rowan County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.5 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 41 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Rowan County?
Rowan County borders 6 counties: Davie County, Davidson County, Iredell County, Cabarrus County, Stanly County and Montgomery County.
Products
Rowan County, Products
Testing a home in Rowan County
In Rowan County, 17.7% of 626 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 Rowan County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL416 long-term radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Monitor
Corentium Home 2 battery digital radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
Readings: Every 60 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Rowan County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Rowan County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Davidson CountyEPA zone 3
25.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1,265 tests · 7.8 points above Rowan County
- Radon levels in Stanly CountyEPA zone 3
25.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 229 tests · 7.6 points above Rowan County
- Radon levels in Iredell CountyEPA zone 2
21.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1,146 tests · 4.1 points above Rowan County
- Radon levels in Montgomery CountyEPA zone 3
20.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.5 pCi/L · 103 tests · 2.7 points above Rowan County
- Radon levels in Davie CountyEPA zone 3
17.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.7 pCi/L · 694 tests · 0.3 points below Rowan County
- Radon levels in Cabarrus CountyEPA zone 3
8.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.0 pCi/L · 880 tests · 8.9 points below Rowan County
Rowan County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Rowan County
Rowan County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 155,096 residents on July 1, 2025, up 5.6% from 146,893 in 2020. That works out to 303 people per square mile of land. Kannapolis, the largest place on its list (61,708 residents in all), extends beyond Rowan County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 626 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 4.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where North Carolina as a whole comes to 6.5.
From Kannapolis to Faith, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Rowan County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kannapolisextends beyond Rowan County | 61,708 | +11.5% | Counted whole |
| Salisbury | 36,879 | +4.7% | 23.8% |
| China Grove | 4,650 | +4.7% | 3.0% |
| Landis | 3,885 | +4.7% | 2.5% |
| Spencer | 3,450 | +4.0% | 2.2% |
| Granite Quarry | 3,129 | +4.6% | 2.0% |
| Rockwell | 2,417 | +4.6% | 1.6% |
| East Spencer | 1,650 | +4.4% | 1.1% |
| Cleveland | 902 | +5.0% | 0.6% |
| Faith | 845 | +4.6% | 0.5% |
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 Rowan County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Rowan County, Homes
Homes in Rowan County
Of Rowan County's 64,263 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 16% are mobile homes. The homes are older than North Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1982 (1990 for North Carolina), and 24% date from before 1960. 71% 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 | Rowan County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 64,263 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 70% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 7% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 16% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 24% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 24% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1982 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 71% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.