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 Mercer County, North Dakota
EPA puts Mercer County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 63.5% of the 85 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
63.5%
4.2 pts above ND
- Mercer
- 63.5%
- ND
- 59.3%
85 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
5.7pCi/L
Action level reached
- Mercer
- 5.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
85
15th of 29 by tests
- Mercer
- 85
- 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
15 of 29
Middle half
- Mercer
- 63.5%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Mercer County
Starts at Mercer County's median, 5.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.7 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. Mercer County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Mercer County, At a glance
Mercer County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Mercer 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 Mercer County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 15%2 to 4 pCi/L: 21%4 pCi/L and above: 64%
Of 85 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 13 | 15.3% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 18 | 21.2% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 54 | 63.5% |
What these figures count
These are the 85 tests reported to CDC for Mercer 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).
Mercer County, Compared
Mercer County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 63.5% of the 85 radon tests reported to CDC for Mercer County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 15th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 4.2 points above the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 5.7 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 39.3 pCi/L. The rest split 15.3% under 2 pCi/L and 21.2% 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 63.5% share point the same way here.
1 of its 4 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Dunn County at 74.3%; 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 Mercer County went from 75 tests (2005 to 2014) to 85 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 54.7% to 63.5%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Mercer County sits 27.8 points above it. CDC also counts 7 tests taken after mitigation in Mercer 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.
Mercer County, Geology
The ground under Mercer County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Mercer 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.
Mercer County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Mercer County is close to North Dakota as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.9%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; McLean County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Mercer County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Mercer 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
Mercer County, Questions
Questions about radon in Mercer County
Are radon levels high in Mercer County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 63.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Mercer County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.7 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 14 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Mercer County?
Mercer County borders 5 counties: Oliver County, McLean County, Dunn County, Morton County and Stark County.
Products
Mercer County, Products
Testing a home in Mercer County
In Mercer County, 63.5% of 85 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 Mercer 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Mercer County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Mercer County
Explore
Mercer County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Mercer County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Dunn CountyEPA zone 1
74.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.1 pCi/L · 35 tests · 10.8 points above Mercer County
- Radon levels in Oliver CountyEPA zone 1
66.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.0 pCi/L · 12 tests · 3.2 points above Mercer County
- Radon levels in McLean CountyEPA zone 1
63.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 95 tests · 0.3 points below Mercer County
- Radon levels in Stark CountyEPA zone 1
62.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 386 tests · 1.1 points below Mercer County
- Radon levels in Morton CountyEPA zone 1
53.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 268 tests · 10.1 points below Mercer County
Mercer County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Mercer County
The Census Bureau estimates 8,441 residents in Mercer County for July 1, 2025, 92 more than in 2020 (+1.1%). Spread over its land, that is 8.1 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Beulah, has 3,077 residents, 36.5% of the total. Together its 6 incorporated places hold 74.8% of those residents; the other 25.2% live outside any of them. CDC's 85 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 10.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Dakota's 8.3.
From Beulah to Pick City, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Mercer County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beulah | 3,077 | +0.7% | 36.5% |
| Hazen | 2,314 | +1.6% | 27.4% |
| Stanton | 367 | +0.3% | 4.3% |
| Zap | 229 | +1.3% | 2.7% |
| Golden Valley | 189 | −0.5% | 2.2% |
| Pick City | 135 | +8.0% | 1.6% |
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).
Mercer County, Homes
Homes in Mercer County
Of Mercer County's 4,657 homes, 71% are detached houses, against 57% across North Dakota; 14% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1979, close to North Dakota's 1981: 18% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (North Dakota: 63%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Mercer County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,657 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 71% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 9% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 18% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1979 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.