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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Watauga County, North Carolina
EPA puts Watauga 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
45.1%
22.5 pts above NC
- Watauga
- 45.1%
- NC
- 22.6%
1,215 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Watauga
- 3.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,215
13th of 75 by tests
- Watauga
- 1,215
- Wake
- 9,694
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in NC
2 of 75
Top quarter
- Watauga
- 45.1%
- Transylvania
- 47.8%
By share, of 75 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Watauga County
Starts at Watauga County's median, 3.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.5 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Watauga County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Watauga County, At a glance
Watauga County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Watauga County in
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 Watauga County, 2022
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 45.3% |
| 2020 | 44.0% |
| 2021 | 12.5% |
| 2022 | 100.0% |
2022: 100.0%. Across these years the share ran from 12.5% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Watauga 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).
Watauga County, Compared
Watauga County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Watauga County, about 5 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (548 of 1,215) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 9.4 points higher. Across 99 North Carolina counties pooled together, 22.6% of tests reached that level, so Watauga County runs 22.5 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2022, counts only 1 test (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 1,215-test figure.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, none reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 27.6% (Caldwell County) to 44.3% (Wilkes County). By share, Watauga County is 2nd of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 45.3% and 2021 closed at 12.5% (down 32.8 points), with 2014 the high at 45.3%. Half the tests came in under 3.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 224.8 pCi/L. Below the action level, 382 tests (31.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 55.6% statewide, and 285 tests (23.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 21.8% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 45.1% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 55 tests taken after mitigation in Watauga County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 318 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.
Watauga CountyNorth Carolina, pooled
| Year | Tests | Watauga County, at or above 4 pCi/L | North Carolina, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 172 | 45.3% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 318 | 44.0% | 21.1% |
| 2021 | 168 | 12.5% | 14.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Watauga County, Geology
The ground under Watauga County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Watauga County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All 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).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge | Granite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss. | Moderate | 10 | 99.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Watauga County beside the ground around it
Across North Carolina 1.3% of the land is rated high; none of Watauga County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Johnson County, TN the most at 85.1%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Watauga County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Watauga 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
Watauga County, Questions
Questions about radon in Watauga County
Are radon levels high in Watauga County?
In 2022, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Watauga County, North Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.0 pCi/L. Of 75 North Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 22.6%.
Which counties border Watauga County?
Watauga County borders 5 counties: Johnson County, TN, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Caldwell County, NC and Wilkes County, NC.
Products
Watauga County, Products
Testing a home in Watauga County
In Watauga County, 45.1% of 1,215 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 22.6% pooled across North Carolina. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Watauga 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
Monitor
EcoQube Wi-Fi continuous radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- App only
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kit
Air Chek Short-Term radon test kit you hang, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
In home: 72 to 168 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Watauga County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Watauga County
Explore
Watauga County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Watauga County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Wilkes County, NCEPA zone 2
44.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 402 tests · 0.8 points below Watauga County
- Radon levels in Avery County, NCEPA zone 2
38.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 160 tests · 6.3 points below Watauga County
- Radon levels in Johnson County, TNEPA zone 2
34.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.3 pCi/L · 157 tests · 10.7 points below Watauga County
- Radon levels in Ashe County, NCEPA zone 2
34.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 681 tests · 11.0 points below Watauga County
- Radon levels in Caldwell County, NCEPA zone 2
27.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 861 tests · 17.5 points below Watauga County
Watauga County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Watauga County
The Census Bureau estimates 54,786 residents in Watauga County for July 1, 2025, 320 more than in 2020 (+0.6%). That works out to 175 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Boone, has 19,929 residents, 36.4% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,215 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 22.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.5 for North Carolina.
From Boone to Seven Devils, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Watauga County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone | 19,929 | +2.0% | 36.4% |
| Blowing Rockextends beyond Watauga County | 1,324 | −3.5% | Counted whole |
| Beech Mountainextends beyond Watauga County | 659 | −0.8% | Counted whole |
| Seven Devilsextends beyond Watauga County | 314 | Level | Counted whole |
Places in Watauga County with a city page: 1 of 1
4 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 Watauga County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Watauga County, Homes
Homes in Watauga County
Of Watauga County's 33,028 homes, 65% are detached houses, against 65% across North Carolina; 18% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to North Carolina's 1990: 11% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. 61% 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 33,028 | 4,815,195 |
| Detached houses | 65% | 65% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 18% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 8% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 11% | 14% |
| Built since 2000 | 26% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1987 | 1990 |
| Owner-occupied | 61% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.