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Radon Levels in Cherokee County, Oklahoma

EPA puts Cherokee County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 31.4% of its 51 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    31.4%

    18.7 pts above OK

    Cherokee
    31.4%
    Oklahoma
    12.7%

    51 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    Cherokee
    1.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    51

    3rd of 4 by tests

    Cherokee
    51
    Tulsa
    306

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Oklahoma

    2 of 4

    Middle half

    Cherokee
    31.4%
    Delaware
    41.9%

    By share, of 4 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Cherokee County

Starts at Cherokee County's median, 1.9 pCi/L

1.9pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 1.9 pCi/L

Below 2 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Cherokee County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Cherokee County, At a glance

Cherokee County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Cherokee County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 83% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Cherokee County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Cherokee County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 51%2 to 4 pCi/L: 18%4 pCi/L and above: 31%

Of 51 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Cherokee County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L2651.0%
2 to 4 pCi/L917.6%
4 pCi/L and above1631.4%
What these figures count

These are the 51 tests reported to CDC for Cherokee 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).

How to read these figures

Cherokee County, Compared

Cherokee County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Cherokee County, about 3 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (16 of 51) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 4.3 points lower. Across 52 Oklahoma counties pooled together, 12.7% of tests reached that level, so Cherokee County runs 18.7 points above its state.

Delaware County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 41.9%. By share, Cherokee County is 2nd of 4 Oklahoma counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Half the tests came in under 1.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 107.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 26 tests (51.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 68.7% statewide, and 9 tests (17.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 18.7% statewide.

Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 31.4% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 83% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

CDC's ten-year totals for Cherokee County went from 47 tests (2005 to 2014) to 51 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 31.9% to 31.4%.

Cherokee County against Oklahoma, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Cherokee County
Cherokee County5131.4%1.9 pCi/LThis county
Oklahoma, pooled52 counties, pooled81412.7%Not pooled−18.7 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+4.3 points
Oklahoma Countyhighest in the state1198.4%0.8 pCi/L−23.0 points
Tulsa Countylowest in the state3068.2%0.9 pCi/L−23.2 points
Adair County, OKborders it250.0%3.8 pCi/L+18.6 points
Delaware County, OKborders it3141.9%2.3 pCi/L+10.5 points
Mayes County, OKborders it333.3%3.8 pCi/L+1.9 points
Muskogee County, OKborders it175.9%1.3 pCi/L−25.5 points
Wagoner County, OKborders it100.0%1.1 pCi/L−31.4 points
Sequoyah County, OKborders it40.0%1.6 pCi/L−31.4 points
Where Cherokee County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Oklahoma and the United States
ResultCherokee County testsCherokee County shareOklahoma shareU.S. shareAgainst Oklahoma
Under 2 pCi/L2651.0%68.7%39.6%−17.7 points
2 to 4 pCi/L917.6%18.7%24.7%−1.1 points
4 pCi/L and above1631.4%12.7%35.7%+18.7 points
Cherokee County ranked among the 4 Oklahoma counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Delaware County1 of 43141.9%2.3 pCi/L
Cherokee County2 of 45131.4%1.9 pCi/L
Oklahoma County3 of 41198.4%0.8 pCi/L
Tulsa County4 of 43068.2%0.9 pCi/L
Cherokee County ten-year laboratory totals, against Oklahoma's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestOklahoma, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20175131.4%1.9 pCi/L107.0 pCi/L12.7%+1.2 points
2007 to 20165330.2%1.9 pCi/L107.0 pCi/L12.1%−1.8 points
2006 to 20155032.0%1.9 pCi/L107.0 pCi/L12.6%+0.1 points
2005 to 20144731.9%2.0 pCi/L107.0 pCi/L12.0%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Cherokee County, Geology

The ground under Cherokee County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Cherokee County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 83.3% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 16.7% low. The map puts 83.3% of Cherokee County in the area it calls Ozark Plateau and 12.2% in Lower Arkansas River Valley, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 8, in the low band (5 to 8).

USGS's geologic areas under Cherokee County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Ozark PlateauMississippian and Pennsylvanian limestone and shale.Moderate983.3%
Lower Arkansas River ValleyPennsylvanian sandstone, siltstone, shale.Low812.2%
Central Oklahoma Plains and HillsNonmarine Permian and Tertiary rocks, including shale, sandstone, and conglomerate in the western part, and Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks in the eastern part.Low74.5%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Cherokee County beside the ground around it

Across Oklahoma 0.6% of the land is rated high; none of Cherokee County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 1 has more moderate-potential ground, Delaware County the most at 99.9%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Cherokee County, the 6 counties bordering it and Oklahoma
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Cherokee CountyZone 216.7%83.3%None
Adair CountyZone 219.6%80.4%None
Wagoner CountyZone 399.6%0.4%None
Muskogee CountyZone 397.3%2.7%None
Sequoyah CountyZone 297.4%2.6%None
Mayes CountyZone 258.8%41.2%None
Delaware CountyZone 20.1%99.9%None
Oklahoma77 counties, pooled by land areaVaries84.8%14.6%0.6%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Cherokee County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Cherokee County

What it means

Cherokee County, Questions

Questions about radon in Cherokee County

Are radon levels high in Cherokee County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 31.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cherokee County, Oklahoma were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.9 pCi/L. Of 4 Oklahoma counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 12.7%.

Which counties border Cherokee County?

Cherokee County borders 6 counties: Adair County, Wagoner County, Muskogee County, Sequoyah County, Mayes County and Delaware County.

Products

Cherokee County, Products

Testing a home in Cherokee County

In Cherokee County, 31.4% of 51 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 12.7% pooled across Oklahoma. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Cherokee County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Cherokee County homes, compared

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Cherokee County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Cherokee County

Calculated by Radon411

Cherokee County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Cherokee County

The Census Bureau estimates 49,196 residents in Cherokee County for July 1, 2025, 2,111 more than in 2020 (+4.5%). That works out to 66 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Tahlequah, has 17,508 residents, 35.6% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 51 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 1.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 0.2 for Oklahoma.

From Tahlequah to Oaks, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Cherokee County's.

The cities and towns in Cherokee County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Tahlequah17,508+6.4%35.6%
Fort Gibsonextends beyond Cherokee County3,814+0.2%Counted whole
Hulbert498+4.6%1.0%
Oaksextends beyond Cherokee County271+0.7%Counted whole

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). A place that extends beyond Cherokee County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Cherokee County, Homes

Homes in Cherokee County

Of Cherokee County's 22,273 homes, 65% are detached houses, against 73% across Oklahoma; 19% are mobile homes. Much of Cherokee County is recent building: 30% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1988, against 1980 for Oklahoma. 66% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Oklahoma: 66%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, 2019 to 2023
HomesCherokee CountyOklahoma
Housing units22,2731,763,036
Detached houses65%73%
In buildings of 5 or more9%12%
Mobile homes19%9%
Built before 196011%21%
Built since 200030%25%
Middle year built19881980
Owner-occupied66%66%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.