Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Bowman County, North Dakota
EPA puts Bowman County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 71.4% of the 35 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
71.4%
12.1 pts above ND
- Bowman
- 71.4%
- ND
- 59.3%
35 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
5.8pCi/L
Action level reached
- Bowman
- 5.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
35
26th of 29 by tests
- Bowman
- 35
- 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
9 of 29
Middle half
- Bowman
- 71.4%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Bowman County
Starts at Bowman County's median, 5.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.8 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. Bowman County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Bowman County, At a glance
Bowman County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Bowman County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 70% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Bowman County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 6%2 to 4 pCi/L: 23%4 pCi/L and above: 71%
Of 35 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 2 | 5.7% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 8 | 22.9% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 25 | 71.4% |
What these figures count
These are the 35 tests reported to CDC for Bowman 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).
Bowman County, Compared
Bowman County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 71.4% of the 35 radon tests reported to CDC for Bowman County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 9th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 12.1 points above the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 5.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 96.6 pCi/L. The rest split 5.7% under 2 pCi/L and 22.9% 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 71.4% share point the same way here.
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 Bowman County went from 45 tests (2005 to 2014) to 35 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 68.9% to 71.4%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Bowman County sits 35.7 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Bowman County, Geology
The ground under Bowman County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Bowman County: 70.2% of its land is high radon potential and 29.8% moderate. The map puts 70.2% of Bowman County in the area it calls Great Plains (Unglaciated) and 29.8% in Eastern Great Plains. USGS gives the first a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Plains (Unglaciated) | Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous sandstones, shales, and locally, coal-bearing units. | High | 13 | 70.2% |
| Eastern Great Plains | Cretaceous marine shale and marine and nearshore sandstone, siltstone. | Moderate | 11 | 29.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Bowman County beside the ground around it
North Dakota as a whole has more high-potential ground than Bowman County: 98.9% of its land, against 70.2% here. Of the 4 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Adams County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Bowman County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Bowman 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
Bowman County, Questions
Questions about radon in Bowman County
Are radon levels high in Bowman County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 71.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Bowman County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.8 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 8 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Bowman County?
Bowman County borders 4 counties: Slope County, ND, Harding County, SD, Fallon County, MT and Adams County, ND.
Products
Bowman County, Products
Testing a home in Bowman County
In Bowman County, 71.4% of 35 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 Bowman 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
View Plus radon and air quality monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Battery
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
Short-term kit
PicoCan short-term charcoal canister radon test
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Bowman County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Bowman County
Explore
Bowman County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Bowman County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Harding County, SDEPA zone 2
100.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 1 test · 28.6 points above Bowman County
- Radon levels in Adams County, NDEPA zone 1
80.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 12.7 pCi/L · 10 tests · 8.6 points above Bowman County
- Radon levels in Slope County, NDEPA zone 1
70.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 10.3 pCi/L · 10 tests · 1.4 points below Bowman County
- Radon levels in Fallon County, MTEPA zone 1
62.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.7 pCi/L · 8 tests · 8.9 points below Bowman County
Bowman County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Bowman County
Bowman County has been losing residents: from 2,973 in 2020 to 2,762 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 7.1% by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 2.4 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Bowman, has 1,357 residents, 49.1% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 64.0% of those residents; the other 36.0% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 35 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 12.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 8.3 for North Dakota.
From Bowman to Gascoyne, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Bowman County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowman | 1,357 | −7.3% | 49.1% |
| Scranton | 240 | −7.7% | 8.7% |
| Rhame | 149 | −6.9% | 5.4% |
| Gascoyne | 21 | −8.7% | 0.8% |
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).
Bowman County, Homes
Homes in Bowman County
Bowman County is a place of houses on their own lots: 78% of its 1,637 homes are detached single-family houses, against 57% across North Dakota. The homes are older than North Dakota's as a whole: half were built before 1972 (1981 for North Dakota), and 39% date from before 1960. Owners live in 83% of the occupied homes (North Dakota: 63%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Bowman County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,637 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 78% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 10% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 39% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1972 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 83% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.