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 Ramsey County, North Dakota
EPA puts Ramsey County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 76.9% of the 134 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
76.9%
17.6 pts above ND
- Ramsey
- 76.9%
- ND
- 59.3%
134 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
6.9pCi/L
Action level reached
- Ramsey
- 6.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
134
10th of 29 by tests
- Ramsey
- 134
- 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
4 of 29
Top quarter
- Ramsey
- 76.9%
- Pembina
- 82.5%
By share, of 29 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Ramsey County
Starts at Ramsey County's median, 6.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 6.9 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. Ramsey County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Ramsey County, At a glance
Ramsey County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Ramsey 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 Ramsey County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 8%2 to 4 pCi/L: 15%4 pCi/L and above: 77%
Of 134 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 11 | 8.2% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 20 | 14.9% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 103 | 76.9% |
What these figures count
These are the 134 tests reported to CDC for Ramsey 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).
Ramsey County, Compared
Ramsey County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 76.9% of the 134 radon tests reported to CDC for Ramsey County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 4th of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 17.6 points above the 59.3% pooled from 53 North Dakota counties.
The median result, 6.9 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 34.3 pCi/L. The rest split 8.2% under 2 pCi/L and 14.9% 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 76.9% share point the same way here.
All 2 of its bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Walsh County at 79.5%; the lowest of them, Benson County, reported 77.4%. 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 Ramsey County went from 131 tests (2005 to 2014) to 134 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 73.3% to 76.9%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Ramsey County sits 41.2 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Ramsey County, Geology
The ground under Ramsey County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Ramsey County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 88.3% of Ramsey County in the area it calls Great Plains (Glaciated) and 7.3% in Glacial Lakes, with one smaller area beside them. 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 | 88.3% |
| Glacial Lakes | Silt and clay deposits derived from Cretaceous shales containing higher than average amounts of uranium. | High | 14 | 7.3% |
| Glacial Lakes | Silt and clay lake deposits derived from Cretaceous shales containing higher than average amounts of uranium. | High | 14 | 4.4% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Ramsey County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Ramsey 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; Nelson County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Ramsey County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Ramsey 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
Ramsey County, Questions
Questions about radon in Ramsey County
Are radon levels high in Ramsey County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 76.9% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Ramsey County, North Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.9 pCi/L. Of 29 North Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 3 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 59.3%.
Which counties border Ramsey County?
Ramsey County borders 5 counties: Towner County, Nelson County, Benson County, Cavalier County and Walsh County.
Products
Ramsey County, Products
Testing a home in Ramsey County
In Ramsey County, 76.9% of 134 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 Ramsey 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 monitorMonitorSafetySiren
Pro4 plug-in radon detector with a display and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 48 hours
Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Ramsey County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Ramsey County
Explore
Ramsey County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Ramsey County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Walsh CountyEPA zone 1
79.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 9.8 pCi/L · 132 tests · 2.6 points above Ramsey County
- Radon levels in Benson CountyEPA zone 1
77.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 31 tests · 0.5 points above Ramsey County
- Radon levels in Nelson CountyEPA zone 1
63.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.7 pCi/L · 19 tests · 13.7 points below Ramsey County
- Radon levels in Towner CountyEPA zone 1
56.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 25 tests · 20.9 points below Ramsey County
- Radon levels in Cavalier CountyEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.9 pCi/L · 28 tests · 26.9 points below Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Ramsey County
Ramsey County's population has barely moved since 2020: 11,530 residents on July 1, 2025 against 11,574 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 9.7 people to the square mile. Devils Lake alone is home to 7,333 of them, 63.6% of the total. CDC's 134 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 11.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to North Dakota's 8.3.
From Devils Lake to Churchs Ferry, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Ramsey County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake | 7,333 | +0.4% | 63.6% |
| Edmore | 138 | −2.1% | 1.2% |
| Crary | 112 | −0.9% | 1.0% |
| Starkweather | 97 | −1.0% | 0.8% |
| Brocket | 34 | −2.9% | 0.3% |
| Hampden | 28 | −3.4% | 0.2% |
| Lawton | 18 | Level | 0.2% |
- Churchs Ferry
8 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).
Ramsey County, Homes
Homes in Ramsey County
Of Ramsey County's 5,875 homes, 60% are detached houses, against 57% across North Dakota; 20% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1975, close to North Dakota's 1981: 29% date from before 1960 and 20% from 2000 or later. 59% 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 | Ramsey County | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 5,875 | 374,866 |
| Detached houses | 60% | 57% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 20% | 25% |
| Mobile homes | 7% | 7% |
| Built before 1960 | 29% | 24% |
| Built since 2000 | 20% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1975 | 1981 |
| Owner-occupied | 59% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.