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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Wasco County, Oregon
EPA puts Wasco County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 16 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
2.6%
14.2 pts below OR
- Wasco
- 2.6%
- Oregon
- 16.8%
76 tests, 2020
Median result
0.7pCi/L
Below action level
- Wasco
- 0.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2020
Tests reported
76
15th of 20 by tests
- Wasco
- 76
- Multnomah
- 1,753
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2020
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Oregon
20 of 20
Lowest quarter
- Wasco
- 2.6%
- Union
- 35.3%
By share, of 20 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Wasco County
Starts at Wasco County's median, 0.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.7 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Wasco County's median reported result, 2020.
The data
Wasco County, At a glance
Wasco County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Wasco County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 95% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Wasco County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 7.7% |
| 2015 | 27.3% |
| 2016 | 10.0% |
| 2017 | 16.7% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 14.3% |
| 2020 | 2.6% |
| 2021 | 12.0% |
| 2022 | 7.7% |
| 2023 | 37.5% |
2023: 37.5%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 37.5%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 16 tests were reported to CDC for Wasco County over 2023, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Wasco County, Compared
Wasco County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Only 2 of 76 radon tests reported for Wasco County in 2020 reached 4 pCi/L (2.6%). The median result, 0.7 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 19.3 pCi/L.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 16 tests (37.5% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 76-test figure.
Across 33 Oregon counties pooled together, 16.8% of tests reached that level, so Wasco County runs 14.2 points below its state. Against the national pool of 25.5%, the gap is 22.9 points lower. Its place in the state: 20th of 20 Oregon counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Wasco County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 2.6% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests. Of 3 neighbours with a figure, all 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 15.0% (Marion County) to 31.3% (Hood River County).
Below the action level, 72 tests (94.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 62.8% statewide, and 2 tests (2.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 20.4% statewide. Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 2.3 points, from 10.0% in 2016 to 7.7% in 2022; its peak was 10.0% in 2016. USGS geology rates 95% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2020, with 76 tests reported; the quietest, 2018, had 5.
Wasco CountyOregon, pooled
7.7% % of tests20.2% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Wasco County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Oregon, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 30 | 10.0% | 21.5% |
| 2020 | 76 | 2.6% | 16.8% |
| 2022 | 39 | 7.7% | 20.2% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Wasco County, Geology
The ground under Wasco County
PredictedMost of the ground under Wasco County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 95.0% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 5.0% low. The map puts 91.6% of Wasco County in the area it calls Deschutes Umatilla Plateau and 5.0% in Cascade Range, 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 7, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes Umatilla Plateau | Tertiary basalt, basaltic breccia, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks and tuff. Elevated uranium in soils. | Moderate | 9 | 91.6% |
| Cascade Range | Western Cascade Range is Tertiary andesite, basalt flows, and pyroclastic rocks. Eastern Cascades are late Tertiary to Quaternary basaltic and andesitic volcanic rocks. | Low | 7 | 5.0% |
| Blue Mountains | Tertiary basalt and andesite, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, and tuff. | Moderate | 9 | 3.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Wasco County beside the ground around it
Wasco County has more moderate-potential ground than Oregon as a whole: 95.0% of its land against 62.3%. Of the 8 counties that border it, 3 have more moderate-potential ground, Sherman County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Wasco County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Wasco County
- Oregon Radon Awareness ProgramOregon Radon Awareness Program, run by Oregon Health Authority, offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Oregon.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Oregon Radon Awareness Program provides a FREE short-term radon test kit to those living in areas of Oregon where little radon testing has been done.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Oregon38 professionals are listed in Oregon.
What Oregon's program says
- Radon.program@dhsoha.state.or.us
What it means
Wasco County, Questions
Questions about radon in Wasco County
Are radon levels high in Wasco County?
In 2023, 37.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Wasco County, Oregon were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.4 pCi/L. Of 20 Oregon counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 19 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 16.8%.
Which counties border Wasco County?
Wasco County borders 8 counties: Hood River County, OR, Sherman County, OR, Klickitat County, WA, Jefferson County, OR, Clackamas County, OR, Gilliam County, OR, Wheeler County, OR and Marion County, OR.
Products
Wasco County, Products
Testing a home in Wasco County
In Wasco County, 2.6% of 76 tests reported to CDC in 2020 reached 4 pCi/L, against 16.8% pooled across Oregon. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Wasco County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
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
Monitor
RadonPro Wi-Fi radon monitor with a built-in Geiger counter
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- Alarm
- Screen, app
First reading: Within 5 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Wasco County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Wasco County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Jefferson County, OREPA zone 2
33.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.8 pCi/L · 3 tests · 30.7 points above Wasco County
- Radon levels in Hood River County, OREPA zone 2
31.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 64 tests · 28.7 points above Wasco County
- Radon levels in Klickitat County, WAEPA zone 2
30.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 20 tests · 27.4 points above Wasco County
- Radon levels in Clackamas County, OREPA zone 3
16.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 555 tests · 14.2 points above Wasco County
- Radon levels in Marion County, OREPA zone 3
15.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 373 tests · 12.4 points above Wasco County
- Radon levels in Gilliam County, OREPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 0.9 pCi/L · 11 tests · 2.6 points below Wasco County
- Radon levels in Wheeler County, OREPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.0 pCi/L · 1 test · 2.6 points below Wasco County
- Radon levels in Sherman County, OREPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2020; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Wasco County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Wasco County
About 26,310 people live in Wasco County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 303 fewer than in 2020 (−1.1%). That works out to 11 people per square mile of land. The Dalles alone is home to 15,745 of them, 59.8% of the total. Together its 6 incorporated places hold 65.9% of those residents; the other 34.1% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 76 reported tests for 2020 come to 2.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 1.3 for Oregon.
From The Dalles to Shaniko, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Wasco County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dalles | 15,745 | −1.5% | 59.8% |
| Dufur | 638 | −0.5% | 2.4% |
| Mosier | 472 | −0.2% | 1.8% |
| Maupin | 420 | −0.5% | 1.6% |
| Antelope | 35 | Level | 0.1% |
| Shaniko | 31 | −3.1% | 0.1% |
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).
Wasco County, Homes
Homes in Wasco County
Of Wasco County's 12,102 homes, 62% are detached houses, against 63% across Oregon; 20% are mobile homes. The homes are older than Oregon's as a whole: half were built before 1972 (1980 for Oregon), and 38% date from before 1960. 66% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Oregon: 63%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Wasco County | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 12,102 | 1,838,631 |
| Detached houses | 62% | 63% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 9% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 20% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 38% | 23% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1972 | 1980 |
| Owner-occupied | 66% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.