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Radon Levels in Berks County, Pennsylvania

EPA puts Berks County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 39.6% of its 2,632 reported radon tests (2020) 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    39.6%

    9.3 pts above PA

    Berks
    39.6%
    PA
    30.3%

    2,632 tests, 2020

  • Median result

    2.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    Berks
    2.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2020

  • Tests reported

    2,632

    13th of 63 by tests

    Berks
    2,632
    Montgomery
    10,508

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2020

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in PA

    33 of 63

    Middle half

    Berks
    39.6%
    Perry
    57.7%

    By share, of 63 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Berks County

Starts at Berks County's median, 2.9 pCi/L

2.9pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.9 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 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 between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Berks County's median reported result, 2020.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Berks County, At a glance

Berks County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Berks County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

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 Berks County, 2020

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Berks County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Berks County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201447.1%
201548.7%
201644.9%
201743.2%
201840.9%
201941.8%
202039.6%

2020: 39.6%. Across these years the share ran from 39.6% to 48.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 2,632 tests reported to CDC for Berks County over 2020, 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: 2020. Measured data period: 2005 to 2020 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Berks County, Compared

Berks County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Berks County, about 4 in 10 reported tests in 2020 (1,043 of 2,632) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 25.5%, the gap is 14.1 points higher. Across 67 Pennsylvania counties pooled together, 30.3% of tests reached that level, so Berks County runs 9.3 points above its state.

Of 6 neighbours with a figure, 4 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 2 a smaller one; the spread is 21.8% (Montgomery County) to 54.2% (Lebanon County). By share, Berks County is 33rd of 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Year by year, 2014 opened at 47.1% and 2020 closed at 39.6% (down 7.5 points), with 2015 the high at 48.7%. Half the tests came in under 2.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 424.6 pCi/L. Below the action level, 1,030 tests (39.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.3% statewide, and 559 tests (21.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 25.4% statewide.

Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 39.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2018, with 3,772 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 2,632.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Berks County against Pennsylvania2014 to 2020, years with 30 or more tests: Berks County 47.1% to 39.6%, the state's pooled share 30.3% in 2020.
Berks CountyPennsylvania, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Berks County against Pennsylvania: data table
YearTestsBerks County, at or above 4 pCi/LPennsylvania, pooled
20142,93147.1%36.1%
20153,39948.7%37.8%
20163,70144.9%34.4%
20173,54343.2%35.1%
20183,77240.9%30.5%
20193,39641.8%31.4%
20202,63239.6%30.3%
Berks County against Pennsylvania, the United States and nearby counties, 2020
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Berks County
Berks County2,63239.6%2.9 pCi/LThis county
Pennsylvania, pooled67 counties, pooled93,66930.3%Not pooled−9.3 points
United States, pooled915 counties, pooled405,35525.5%Not pooled−14.1 points
Perry Countyhighest in the state18957.7%4.9 pCi/L+18.1 points
Philadelphia Countylowest in the state8,44210.6%1.7 pCi/L−29.0 points
Lebanon County, PAborders it1,10254.2%4.8 pCi/L+14.6 points
Schuylkill County, PAborders it79753.5%4.5 pCi/L+13.9 points
Lancaster County, PAborders it4,39843.3%3.0 pCi/L+3.7 points
Lehigh County, PAborders it3,10339.8%2.7 pCi/L+0.2 points
Chester County, PAborders it6,77024.0%2.0 pCi/L−15.6 points
Montgomery County, PAborders it10,50821.8%2.0 pCi/L−17.8 points
Where Berks County's reported results fell, 2020, beside Pennsylvania and the United States
ResultBerks County testsBerks County sharePennsylvania shareU.S. shareAgainst Pennsylvania
Under 2 pCi/L1,03039.1%44.3%51.6%−5.2 points
2 to 4 pCi/L55921.2%25.4%22.9%−4.2 points
4 pCi/L and above1,04339.6%30.3%25.5%+9.3 points
Berks County ranked among the 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2020
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Mifflin County28 of 6311141.4%2.7 pCi/L
Northampton County29 of 633,43441.3%2.9 pCi/L
Carbon County30 of 6343840.6%3.0 pCi/L
Lehigh County31 of 633,10339.8%2.7 pCi/L
Adams County32 of 6385239.7%2.8 pCi/L
Berks County33 of 632,63239.6%2.9 pCi/L
Centre County34 of 6367039.3%2.3 pCi/L
Warren County35 of 6311938.7%2.8 pCi/L
Jefferson County36 of 6325438.6%2.6 pCi/L
Susquehanna County37 of 6311637.9%3.0 pCi/L
Dauphin County38 of 632,98636.9%2.0 pCi/L
Berks County radon tests by year, against Pennsylvania's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestPennsylvania, pooledChange from the row before
20202,63239.6%2.9 pCi/L424.6 pCi/L30.3%−2.2 points
20193,39641.8%3.1 pCi/L217.7 pCi/L31.4%+0.9 points
20183,77240.9%3.0 pCi/L432.1 pCi/L30.5%−2.3 points
20173,54343.2%3.4 pCi/L465.0 pCi/L35.1%−1.7 points
20163,70144.9%3.4 pCi/L256.5 pCi/L34.4%−3.8 points
20153,39948.7%3.8 pCi/L674.6 pCi/L37.8%+1.6 points
20142,93147.1%3.6 pCi/L165.4 pCi/L36.1%First on file

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

Berks County, State data

Pennsylvania's own radon test data

Measured

What Pennsylvania's own agencies publish about radon tests in Berks County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.

MeasuredState figures, not CDC's

What Pennsylvania DEP reports for the ZIP codes in Berks County

Pennsylvania DEP publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 64 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Berks County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: Period not stated by DEP.

ZIP codes in Berks County
ZIP codeWhat the state reports
17026Basement: average 18.6 pCi/L, 405 tests; First floor: average 6.9 pCi/L, 39 tests
17067Basement: average 13.2 pCi/L, 1,426 tests; First floor: average 7.5 pCi/L, 171 tests
17087Basement: average 25.8 pCi/L, 310 tests; First floor: figures not shown
17555Basement: average 9.4 pCi/L, 562 tests; First floor: average 5.2 pCi/L, 47 tests
17569Basement: average 5.1 pCi/L, 706 tests; First floor: average 4.0 pCi/L, 75 tests
18011Basement: average 5.4 pCi/L, 870 tests; First floor: average 3.9 pCi/L, 68 tests
18031Basement: average 12.6 pCi/L, 2,419 tests; First floor: average 6.8 pCi/L, 195 tests
18041Basement: average 4.8 pCi/L, 647 tests; First floor: average 2.7 pCi/L, 126 tests
18056Basement: average 8.9 pCi/L, 51 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18062Basement: average 6.6 pCi/L, 6,051 tests; First floor: average 4.2 pCi/L, 599 tests
18070Basement: average 8.8 pCi/L, 114 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18092Basement: average 14.1 pCi/L, 786 tests; First floor: average 10.0 pCi/L, 102 tests
19464Basement: average 4.0 pCi/L, 8,254 tests; First floor: average 2.2 pCi/L, 1,063 tests
19501Basement: average 3.2 pCi/L, 62 tests; First floor: figures not shown
19503Basement: average 5.1 pCi/L, 169 tests; First floor: figures not shown
19504Basement: average 10.7 pCi/L, 1,036 tests; First floor: average 7.9 pCi/L, 133 tests
19505Basement: average 8.2 pCi/L, 497 tests; First floor: average 4.5 pCi/L, 40 tests
19506Basement: average 21.2 pCi/L, 1,378 tests; First floor: average 12.2 pCi/L, 132 tests
19507Basement: average 13.3 pCi/L, 265 tests; First floor: average 6.7 pCi/L, 70 tests
19508Basement: average 4.5 pCi/L, 1,949 tests; First floor: average 2.2 pCi/L, 189 tests
19510Basement: average 9.5 pCi/L, 1,695 tests; First floor: average 5.8 pCi/L, 119 tests
19511Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19512Basement: average 10.6 pCi/L, 2,668 tests; First floor: average 6.6 pCi/L, 238 tests
19516Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19518Basement: average 6.5 pCi/L, 3,009 tests; First floor: average 4.5 pCi/L, 261 tests
19520Basement: average 6.0 pCi/L, 1,375 tests; First floor: average 3.8 pCi/L, 158 tests
19522Basement: average 11.5 pCi/L, 2,262 tests; First floor: average 6.3 pCi/L, 219 tests
19523Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19525Basement: average 4.1 pCi/L, 3,305 tests; First floor: average 2.4 pCi/L, 247 tests
19526Basement: average 15.2 pCi/L, 1,159 tests; First floor: average 10.7 pCi/L, 134 tests
19529Basement: average 23.0 pCi/L, 445 tests; First floor: average 8.0 pCi/L, 63 tests
19530Basement: average 18.7 pCi/L, 1,541 tests; First floor: average 9.2 pCi/L, 348 tests
19533Basement: average 17.5 pCi/L, 1,072 tests; First floor: average 18.0 pCi/L, 75 tests
19534Basement: average 22.6 pCi/L, 289 tests; First floor: average 20.6 pCi/L, 33 tests
19535Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19536Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19538Basement: figures not shown
19539Basement: average 10.7 pCi/L, 567 tests; First floor: average 7.1 pCi/L, 61 tests
19540Basement: average 7.5 pCi/L, 1,625 tests; First floor: average 5.2 pCi/L, 165 tests
19541Basement: average 22.7 pCi/L, 698 tests; First floor: average 10.5 pCi/L, 58 tests
19543Basement: average 6.8 pCi/L, 1,298 tests; First floor: average 4.9 pCi/L, 70 tests
19544Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19545Basement: average 4.8 pCi/L, 46 tests; First floor: figures not shown
19547Basement: average 13.8 pCi/L, 639 tests; First floor: average 6.0 pCi/L, 115 tests
19550Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19551Basement: average 19.1 pCi/L, 954 tests; First floor: average 10.1 pCi/L, 82 tests
19554Basement: average 11.6 pCi/L, 34 tests; First floor: figures not shown
19555Basement: average 15.4 pCi/L, 275 tests; First floor: average 7.4 pCi/L, 52 tests
19559Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19560Basement: average 11.6 pCi/L, 648 tests; First floor: average 11.0 pCi/L, 66 tests
19562Basement: average 5.0 pCi/L, 241 tests; First floor: figures not shown
19564Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
19565Basement: average 13.2 pCi/L, 1,834 tests; First floor: average 7.9 pCi/L, 210 tests
19567Basement: average 14.5 pCi/L, 671 tests; First floor: average 6.3 pCi/L, 123 tests
19601Basement: average 5.2 pCi/L, 855 tests; First floor: average 3.0 pCi/L, 103 tests
19602Basement: average 6.8 pCi/L, 245 tests; First floor: average 2.5 pCi/L, 37 tests
19604Basement: average 5.4 pCi/L, 587 tests; First floor: average 2.1 pCi/L, 57 tests
19605Basement: average 11.0 pCi/L, 2,195 tests; First floor: average 7.7 pCi/L, 190 tests
19606Basement: average 13.0 pCi/L, 4,715 tests; First floor: average 7.4 pCi/L, 571 tests
19607Basement: average 8.0 pCi/L, 2,585 tests; First floor: average 3.8 pCi/L, 209 tests
19608Basement: average 10.1 pCi/L, 4,852 tests; First floor: average 7.5 pCi/L, 293 tests
19609Basement: average 10.8 pCi/L, 1,804 tests; First floor: average 7.8 pCi/L, 154 tests
19610Basement: average 8.2 pCi/L, 3,553 tests; First floor: average 6.0 pCi/L, 397 tests
19611Basement: average 5.9 pCi/L, 690 tests; First floor: average 4.3 pCi/L, 80 tests
  • DEP's report gives the number of tests, the highest result and the average result for each floor tested; it states no period.
  • DEP says the smartest thing to do is to test your home for radon, no matter where you live.
  • A ZIP code that crosses the county line is listed whole; its figures cover all of it.

Measured: Pennsylvania DEP data, Period not stated by DEP.

Berks County, Geology

The ground under Berks County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Berks County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 57.2% of Berks County in the area it calls Great Valley Section and 23.8% in Newark Basin, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 15 and the second 12, both in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Berks County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Great Valley SectionSandstone, shale and siltstone.High1557.2%
Newark BasinGray shale and fluvial sandstone.High1223.8%
New England Province/Reading ProngGranitic gneiss.High1517.1%
Appalachian Mountain SectionPaleozoic sandstone, shale, and limestone.High121.5%

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

Berks County beside the ground around it

Berks County has more high-potential ground than Pennsylvania as a whole: 100% of its land against 70.4%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Lebanon County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Berks County, the 6 counties bordering it and Pennsylvania
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Berks CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Lehigh CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Schuylkill CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Lebanon CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Lancaster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Chester CountyZone 1None0.1%99.9%
Montgomery CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Pennsylvania67 counties, pooled by land areaVaries0.7%28.9%70.4%

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

Local help

Berks County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Berks County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Berks County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Boyertown, Kutztown, Lenhartsville

What Pennsylvania's program says
Phone
800-237-2366
Licensing of radon professionals
The Radon Certification Act requires DEP to establish by regulation, a certification program for persons conducting radon gas and radon progeny testing, laboratory analysis and mitigation of radon contamination in buildings.

What it means

Berks County, Questions

Questions about radon in Berks County

Are radon levels high in Berks County?

In 2020, 39.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Berks County, Pennsylvania were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.9 pCi/L. Of 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 32 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.3%.

Which counties border Berks County?

Berks County borders 6 counties: Lehigh County, Schuylkill County, Lebanon County, Lancaster County, Chester County and Montgomery County.

Products

Berks County, Products

Testing a home in Berks County

In Berks County, 39.6% of 2,632 tests reported to CDC in 2020 reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.3% pooled across Pennsylvania. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Berks 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

Berks County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Berks County

Explore

Berks County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Berks County

Calculated by Radon411

Berks County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Berks County

The Census Bureau estimates 440,072 residents in Berks County for July 1, 2025, 11,421 more than in 2020 (+2.7%). That works out to 514 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Reading, has 95,832 residents, 21.8% of the total. CDC's 2,632 reported tests for 2020 work out to 6.0 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Pennsylvania's 7.2.

From Reading to New Morgan, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Berks County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Berks County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Reading95,832+0.9%21.8%
Wyomissing11,285+1.7%2.6%
Shillington5,542+1.4%1.3%
Birdsboro5,161+1.2%1.2%
West Reading4,590+0.9%1.0%
Sinking Spring4,584+7.2%1.0%
Hamburg4,551+5.6%1.0%
Laureldale4,352+2.0%1.0%
Boyertown4,333+1.1%1.0%
Kutztown4,255+2.2%1.0%
Fleetwood4,094+1.3%0.9%
Mount Penn3,269+1.0%0.7%
  • Kenhorst
  • Womelsdorf
  • Mohnton
  • Wernersville
  • Robesonia
  • Topton
  • Leesport
  • St. Lawrence
  • Adamstown (part)
  • Shoemakersville
  • Bally
  • Bechtelsville
  • Bernville
  • Lyons
  • Centerport
  • Lenhartsville
  • New Morgan

29 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Berks County, Homes

Homes in Berks County

Of Berks County's 171,147 homes, 56% are detached houses, against 57% across Pennsylvania; 10% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1968, close to Pennsylvania's 1965: 43% date from before 1960 and 14% from 2000 or later. 71% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Pennsylvania: 69%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Berks County, Pennsylvania, 2019 to 2023
HomesBerks CountyPennsylvania
Housing units171,1475,779,663
Detached houses56%57%
In buildings of 5 or more10%13%
Mobile homes3%4%
Built before 196043%45%
Built since 200014%14%
Middle year built19681965
Owner-occupied71%69%

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