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 Barnes County, North Dakota
EPA puts Barnes County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 67.5% of the 83 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) came back at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
67.5%
8.2 pts above ND
- Barnes
- 67.5%
- ND
- 59.3%
83 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
5.6pCi/L
Action level reached
- Barnes
- 5.6 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
83
16th of 29 by tests
- Barnes
- 83
- Burleigh
- 1,558
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 ND
11 of 29
Middle half
- Barnes
- 67.5%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Barnes County
Starts at Barnes County's median, 5.6 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.6 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Barnes County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Barnes County, At a glance
Barnes County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Barnes County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Barnes County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 17%2 to 4 pCi/L: 16%4 pCi/L and above: 67%
Of 83 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 14 | 16.9% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 13 | 15.7% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 56 | 67.5% |
What these figures count
These are the 83 tests reported to CDC for Barnes County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), 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: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Barnes County, Compared
Barnes County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 67.5% of the 83 radon tests reported to CDC for Barnes County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 11th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 8.2 points above the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 5.6 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 38.8 pCi/L. The rest split 16.9% under 2 pCi/L and 15.7% from 2 to 4 (North Dakota: 18.3% and 22.4%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 67.5% share point the same way here.
2 of its 4 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Stutsman County at 73.5%; Cass County reported 57.5%. Statewide for the same period, Pembina County reported the highest share (82.5%) and Williams County the lowest (33.8%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Barnes County went from 106 tests (2005 to 2014) to 83 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 67.0% to 67.5%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Barnes County sits 31.8 points above it. CDC also counts 9 tests taken after mitigation in Barnes County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Barnes County, Geology
The ground under Barnes County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Barnes County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Great Plains (Glaciated), to which USGS gives a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Plains (Glaciated) | Glacial deposits derived from Cretaceous shales containing higher than average amounts of uranium. | High | 13 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Barnes County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Barnes County is close to North Dakota as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Griggs County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Barnes County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Barnes County
- North Dakota's radon programNorth Dakota Department of Environmental QualityNorth Dakota's radon program offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in North Dakota.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Notice: The DEQ is out of free radon test kits.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in North Dakota47 professionals are listed in North Dakota.
What North Dakota's program says
- Phone
- 701-328-5166
- jOtto@nd.gov
What it means
Barnes County, Questions
Questions about radon in Barnes County
Are radon levels high in Barnes County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 67.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Barnes County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.6 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 10 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Barnes County?
Barnes County borders 6 counties: Ransom County, LaMoure County, Cass County, Stutsman County, Griggs County and Steele County.
Products
Barnes County, Products
Testing a home in Barnes County
In Barnes County, 67.5% of 83 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 59.3% pooled across North Dakota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Barnes 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
RadonPro Wi-Fi radon monitor with a built-in Geiger counter
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- Alarm
- Screen, app
First reading: Within 5 minutes
Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Barnes County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Barnes County
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Barnes County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Barnes County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Stutsman CountyEPA zone 1
73.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 351 tests · 6.0 points above Barnes County
- Radon levels in LaMoure CountyEPA zone 1
70.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.2 pCi/L · 44 tests · 3.0 points above Barnes County
- Radon levels in Ransom CountyEPA zone 1
61.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 151 tests · 5.9 points below Barnes County
- Radon levels in Cass CountyEPA zone 1
57.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.7 pCi/L · 862 tests · 10.0 points below Barnes County
- Radon levels in Griggs CountyEPA zone 1
54.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.0 pCi/L · 11 tests · 13.0 points below Barnes County
- Radon levels in Steele CountyEPA zone 1
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 1 test · 67.5 points below Barnes County
Barnes County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Barnes County
About 10,573 people live in Barnes County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 290 fewer than in 2020 (−2.7%). Spread over its land, that is 7.1 people to the square mile. Valley City alone is home to 6,430 of them, 60.8% of the total. CDC's 83 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 7.9 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Dakota's 8.3.
From Valley City to Pillsbury, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Barnes County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley City | 6,430 | −2.3% | 60.8% |
| Tower Cityextends beyond Barnes County | 273 | +2.6% | Counted whole |
| Wimbledon | 176 | −2.8% | 1.7% |
| Litchville | 163 | −4.1% | 1.5% |
| Sanborn | 160 | −1.8% | 1.5% |
| Oriska | 110 | −1.8% | 1.0% |
| Fingal | 86 | −5.5% | 0.8% |
| Dazey | 74 | −5.1% | 0.7% |
| Kathryn | 64 | −1.5% | 0.6% |
| Rogers | 53 | +8.2% | 0.5% |
| Nome | 48 | −5.9% | 0.5% |
| Leal | 23 | −4.2% | 0.2% |
- Sibley
- Pillsbury
14 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 Barnes County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Barnes County, Homes
Homes in Barnes County
Of Barnes County's 5,706 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 57% across North Dakota; 18% are in buildings of five or more homes. The homes are older than North Dakota's as a whole: half were built before 1967 (1981 for North Dakota), and 43% date from before 1960. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (North Dakota: 63%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Barnes County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 5,706 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 18% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 5% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 43% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 13% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1967 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.