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 Burleigh County, North Dakota
EPA puts Burleigh County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 51.1% of the 1,558 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
51.1%
8.2 pts below ND
- Burleigh
- 51.1%
- ND
- 59.3%
1,558 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.0pCi/L
Action level reached
- Burleigh
- 4.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,558
Most tested in ND
- 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
24 of 29
Lowest quarter
- Burleigh
- 51.1%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Burleigh County
Starts at Burleigh County's median, 4.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.0 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. Burleigh County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Burleigh County, At a glance
Burleigh County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Burleigh 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 Burleigh County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 20%2 to 4 pCi/L: 29%4 pCi/L and above: 51%
Of 1,558 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 311 | 20.0% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 451 | 28.9% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 796 | 51.1% |
What these figures count
These are the 1,558 tests reported to CDC for Burleigh 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).
Burleigh County, Compared
Burleigh County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 51.1% of the 1,558 radon tests reported to CDC for Burleigh County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 24th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 8.2 points below the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 4.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 54.9 pCi/L. The rest split 20.0% under 2 pCi/L and 28.9% 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 51.1% share point the same way here.
All 2 of its bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by McLean County at 63.2%; the lowest of them, Morton County, reported 53.4%. 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 Burleigh County went from 1,312 tests (2005 to 2014) to 1,558 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 47.6% to 51.1%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Burleigh County sits 15.4 points above it. CDC also counts 110 tests taken after mitigation in Burleigh 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.
Burleigh County, Geology
The ground under Burleigh County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Burleigh 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.
Burleigh County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Burleigh 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; Emmons County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Burleigh County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Burleigh 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
Burleigh County, Questions
Questions about radon in Burleigh County
Are radon levels high in Burleigh County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 51.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Burleigh County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.0 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 23 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Burleigh County?
Burleigh County borders 6 counties: Kidder County, Sheridan County, Morton County, Oliver County, McLean County and Emmons County.
Products
Burleigh County, Products
Testing a home in Burleigh County
In Burleigh County, 51.1% of 1,558 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 Burleigh 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
EcoBlu plug-in digital radon monitor with a display
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Burleigh County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Burleigh County
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Burleigh County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Burleigh County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Emmons CountyEPA zone 1
86.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.1 pCi/L · 29 tests · 35.1 points above Burleigh County
- Radon levels in Kidder CountyEPA zone 1
79.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.3 pCi/L · 29 tests · 28.2 points above Burleigh County
- Radon levels in Oliver CountyEPA zone 1
66.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.0 pCi/L · 12 tests · 15.6 points above Burleigh County
- Radon levels in McLean CountyEPA zone 1
63.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 95 tests · 12.1 points above Burleigh County
- Radon levels in Sheridan CountyEPA zone 1
54.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 11 tests · 3.4 points above Burleigh County
- Radon levels in Morton CountyEPA zone 1
53.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 268 tests · 2.3 points above Burleigh County
Burleigh County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Burleigh County
The Census Bureau estimates 103,251 residents in Burleigh County for July 1, 2025, 4,658 more than in 2020 (+4.7%). That works out to 63 people per square mile of land. Bismarck alone is home to 77,963 of them, 75.5% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,558 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 15.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 8.3 for North Dakota.
From Bismarck to Regan, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Burleigh County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck | 77,963 | +5.7% | 75.5% |
| Lincoln | 4,493 | +4.8% | 4.4% |
| Wiltonextends beyond Burleigh County | 702 | −2.6% | Counted whole |
| Wing | 137 | +2.2% | 0.1% |
| Regan | 35 | Level | Under 0.1% |
Places in Burleigh County with a city page: 1 of 1
5 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 Burleigh County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Burleigh County, Homes
Homes in Burleigh County
Of Burleigh County's 43,387 homes, 56% are detached houses, against 57% across North Dakota; 22% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to North Dakota's 1981: 15% date from before 1960 and 35% from 2000 or later. 72% 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 | Burleigh County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 43,387 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 56% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 22% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 7% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 15% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 35% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1987 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.