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 Dickey County, North Dakota
EPA puts Dickey County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 67.1% of the 70 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
67.1%
7.8 pts above ND
- Dickey
- 67.1%
- ND
- 59.3%
70 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.8pCi/L
Action level reached
- Dickey
- 4.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
70
18th of 29 by tests
- Dickey
- 70
- 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
12 of 29
Middle half
- Dickey
- 67.1%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Dickey County
Starts at Dickey County's median, 4.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.8 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. Dickey County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Dickey County, At a glance
Dickey County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Dickey 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 Dickey County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 13%2 to 4 pCi/L: 20%4 pCi/L and above: 67%
Of 70 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 9 | 12.9% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 14 | 20.0% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 47 | 67.1% |
What these figures count
These are the 70 tests reported to CDC for Dickey 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).
Dickey County, Compared
Dickey County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 67.1% of the 70 radon tests reported to CDC for Dickey County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 12th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 7.8 points above the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 4.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 19.8 pCi/L. The rest split 12.9% under 2 pCi/L and 20.0% 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 67.1% share point the same way here.
3 of its 4 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by McIntosh County at 71.9%; Ransom County reported 61.6%. 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 Dickey County went from 50 tests (2005 to 2014) to 70 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 46.0% to 67.1%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Dickey County sits 31.4 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Dickey County, Geology
The ground under Dickey County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Dickey County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 94.3% of Dickey County in the area it calls Great Plains (Glaciated) and 5.7% in Glacial Lakes. USGS gives the first a radon index of 13 and the second 14, both 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 | 94.3% |
| Glacial Lakes | Silt and clay glacial lake deposits derived from Cretaceous shales containing higher than average amounts of uranium. | High | 14 | 5.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Dickey County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Dickey 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; LaMoure County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Dickey County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Dickey 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
Dickey County, Questions
Questions about radon in Dickey County
Are radon levels high in Dickey County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 67.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Dickey County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.8 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 11 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Dickey County?
Dickey County borders 6 counties: LaMoure County, ND, Brown County, SD, McPherson County, SD, Sargent County, ND, McIntosh County, ND and Ransom County, ND.
Products
Dickey County, Products
Testing a home in Dickey County
In Dickey County, 67.1% of 70 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 Dickey 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
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
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
Dickey County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Dickey County
Explore
Dickey County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Dickey County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Sargent County, NDEPA zone 1
75.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.2 pCi/L · 24 tests · 7.9 points above Dickey County
- Radon levels in McIntosh County, NDEPA zone 1
71.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.0 pCi/L · 32 tests · 4.8 points above Dickey County
- Radon levels in Brown County, SDEPA zone 1
71.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.9 pCi/L · 62 tests · 3.9 points above Dickey County
- Radon levels in LaMoure County, NDEPA zone 1
70.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.2 pCi/L · 44 tests · 3.4 points above Dickey County
- Radon levels in Ransom County, NDEPA zone 1
61.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 151 tests · 5.5 points below Dickey County
- Radon levels in McPherson County, SDEPA zone 1
58.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.8 pCi/L · 12 tests · 8.8 points below Dickey County
Dickey County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Dickey County
About 4,895 people live in Dickey County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 77 fewer than in 2020 (−1.5%). Spread over its land, that is 4.3 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Oakes, has 1,765 residents, 36.1% of the total. Together its 6 incorporated places hold 61.9% of those residents; the other 38.1% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 70 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 14.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 8.3 for North Dakota.
From Oakes to Ludden, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Dickey County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakes | 1,765 | −1.0% | 36.1% |
| Ellendale | 1,129 | −2.3% | 23.1% |
| Fullerton | 56 | −1.8% | 1.1% |
| Forbes | 36 | −2.7% | 0.7% |
| Monango | 30 | −3.2% | 0.6% |
| Ludden | 15 | −6.3% | 0.3% |
6 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).
Dickey County, Homes
Homes in Dickey County
Dickey County is a place of houses on their own lots: 83% of its 2,386 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 1965 (1981 for North Dakota), and 43% date from before 1960. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (North Dakota: 63%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Dickey County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 2,386 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 83% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 8% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 5% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 43% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 9% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1965 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.