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Radon Levels in Wake County, North Carolina

EPA puts Wake County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 2.3% of 88 (2022) reached 4 pCi/L. 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

    2.3%

    8.4 pts below NC

    Wake
    2.3%
    NC
    10.7%

    88 tests, 2022

  • Median result

    0.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Wake
    0.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2022

  • Tests reported

    88

    2nd of 4 by tests

    Wake
    88
    Pitt
    116

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2022

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in NC

    2 of 4

    Middle half

    Wake
    2.3%
    Buncombe
    38.0%

    By share, of 4 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Wake County

Starts at Wake County's median, 0.1 pCi/L

0.2pCi/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

  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. 0.1 pCi/L above Wake County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.

Interpret this reading

The data

Wake County, At a glance

Wake County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Wake County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 79% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Wake County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Wake County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Wake County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
20149.0%
202011.8%
20217.5%
20222.3%

2022: 2.3%. Across these years the share ran from 2.3% to 11.8%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 88 tests reported to CDC for Wake County over 2022, many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not 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

Wake County, Compared

Wake County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Only 2 of 88 radon tests reported for Wake County in 2022 reached 4 pCi/L (2.3%). The median result, 0.1 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 6.0 pCi/L.

Across 57 North Carolina counties pooled together, 10.7% of tests reached that level, so Wake County runs 8.4 points below its state. Against the national pool of 23.9%, the gap is 21.6 points lower. Its place in the state: 2nd of 4 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Wake County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 2.3% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.

Below the action level, 80 tests (90.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 70.8% statewide, and 6 tests (6.8%) fell between 2 and 4, against 18.5% statewide. Over 4 years of annual figures the share fell 6.7 points, from 9.0% in 2014 to 2.3% in 2022; its peak was 11.8% in 2020. USGS geology rates 79% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2014, with 1,609 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 88.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Wake County against North Carolina2014 to 2022, years with 30 or more tests: Wake County 9.0% to 2.3%, the state's pooled share 10.7% in 2022.
Wake CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Wake County against North Carolina: data table
YearTestsWake County, at or above 4 pCi/LNorth Carolina, pooled
20141,6099.0%21.9%
20201,19011.8%21.1%
20214667.5%14.9%
2022882.3%10.7%
Wake County against North Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2022
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Wake County
Wake County882.3%0.1 pCi/LThis county
North Carolina, pooled57 counties, pooled59010.7%Not pooled+8.4 points
United States, pooled853 counties, pooled333,14023.9%Not pooled+21.6 points
Buncombe Countyhighest in the state5038.0%2.5 pCi/L+35.7 points
Pitt Countylowest in the state1160.9%1.0 pCi/L−1.4 points
Durham County, NCborders it100.0%0.1 pCi/L−2.3 points
Johnston County, NCborders it30.0%0.1 pCi/L−2.3 points
Chatham County, NCborders it10.0%3.0 pCi/L−2.3 points
Harnett County, NCborders it20.0%1.0 pCi/L−2.3 points
Granville County, NCborders it10.0%1.0 pCi/L−2.3 points
Nash County, NCborders it10.0%0.1 pCi/L−2.3 points
Where Wake County's reported results fell, 2022, beside North Carolina and the United States
ResultWake County testsWake County shareNorth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst North Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L8090.9%70.8%54.5%+20.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L66.8%18.5%21.7%−11.7 points
4 pCi/L and above22.3%10.7%23.9%−8.4 points
Wake County ranked among the 4 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2022
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Buncombe County1 of 45038.0%2.5 pCi/L
Wake County2 of 4882.3%0.1 pCi/L
Wayne County3 of 4671.5%1.0 pCi/L
Pitt County4 of 41160.9%1.0 pCi/L
Wake County radon tests by year, against North Carolina's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNorth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
2022882.3%0.1 pCi/L6.0 pCi/L10.7%−5.2 points
20214667.5%0.1 pCi/L25.0 pCi/L14.9%−4.3 points
20201,19011.8%1.0 pCi/L53.7 pCi/L21.1%+2.8 points
20141,6099.0%0.7 pCi/L40.0 pCi/L21.9%First on file

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

Wake County, Geology

The ground under Wake County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Wake County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 79.4% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 20.6% low. The map puts 79.4% of Wake County in the area it calls Raleigh Belt and 14.9% in Sanford-Durham Sub-Basins, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 8, in the low band (5 to 8).

USGS's geologic areas under Wake County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Raleigh BeltProterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and mica schist.Moderate1179.4%
Sanford-Durham Sub-BasinsArkosic sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate.Low814.9%
Inner Coastal PlainFossiliferous clay and sand, shelly sand, sandy marl, and limestone.Low85.8%

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

Wake County beside the ground around it

Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Wake County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 1 has more moderate-potential ground, Franklin County the most at 99.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Wake County, the 7 counties bordering it and North Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Wake CountyZone 220.6%79.4%None
Johnston CountyZone 369.1%30.9%None
Durham CountyZone 396.7%3.3%None
Harnett CountyZone 388.1%11.9%None
Franklin CountyZone 20.2%99.8%None
Chatham CountyZone 398.6%1.4%None
Nash CountyZone 386.8%13.2%None
Granville CountyZone 387.8%12.2%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

Wake County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Wake County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Wake County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Morrisville

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

Wake County, Questions

Questions about radon in Wake County

Are radon levels high in Wake County?

In 2022, 2.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Wake County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 4 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 10.7%.

Which counties border Wake County?

Wake County borders 7 counties: Johnston County, Durham County, Harnett County, Franklin County, Chatham County, Nash County and Granville County.

Products

Wake County, Products

Testing a home in Wake County

In Wake County, 2.3% of 88 tests reported to CDC in 2022 reached 4 pCi/L, against 10.7% pooled across North Carolina. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Wake County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Wake County homes, compared

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Wake County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Wake County

Calculated by Radon411

Wake County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Wake County

Wake County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 1,257,235 residents on July 1, 2025, up 11.2% from 1,130,903 in 2020. Packed into its land, that is 1,506 people per square mile. Raleigh, the largest place on its list (506,306 residents in all), extends beyond Wake County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. CDC's 88 reported tests for 2022 work out to 0.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Carolina's 0.1.

From Raleigh to Angier, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Wake County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Wake County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Raleighextends beyond Wake County506,306+8.6%Counted whole
Durhamextends beyond Wake County305,561+8.5%Counted whole
Caryextends beyond Wake County183,582+5.0%Counted whole
Apex80,419+23.2%6.4%
Wake Forestextends beyond Wake County58,147+16.9%Counted whole
Holly Springs50,288+21.0%4.0%
Fuquay-Varinaextends beyond Wake County48,536+40.4%Counted whole
Garner41,562+32.0%3.3%
Claytonextends beyond Wake County32,633+22.3%Counted whole
Morrisvilleextends beyond Wake County32,466+7.8%Counted whole
Knightdale23,144+18.7%1.8%
Wendell19,687+96.9%1.6%
  • Rolesville
  • Zebulon (part)
  • Angier (part)

15 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). A place that extends beyond Wake County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Wake County, Homes

Homes in Wake County

Of Wake County's 481,999 homes, 59% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 24% are in buildings of five or more homes. Much of Wake County is recent building: 48% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1999, against 1990 for North Carolina. 64% 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 Wake County, North Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesWake CountyNorth Carolina
Housing units481,9994,815,195
Detached houses59%65%
In buildings of 5 or more24%14%
Mobile homes3%11%
Built before 19606%14%
Built since 200048%33%
Middle year built19991990
Owner-occupied64%66%

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