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Radon Levels in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

EPA puts Luzerne County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 28.2% of its 991 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

    28.2%

    2.1 pts below PA

    Luzerne
    28.2%
    PA
    30.3%

    991 tests, 2020

  • Median result

    2.0pCi/L

    Below action level

    Luzerne
    2.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2020

  • Tests reported

    991

    22nd of 63 by tests

    Luzerne
    991
    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

    53 of 63

    Lowest quarter

    Luzerne
    28.2%
    Perry
    57.7%

    By share, of 63 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Luzerne County

Starts at Luzerne County's median, 2.0 pCi/L

2.0pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.0 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. Luzerne County's median reported result, 2020.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Luzerne County, At a glance

Luzerne County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Luzerne 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 96% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Luzerne County, 2020

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Luzerne County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Luzerne County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201430.6%
201535.1%
201632.9%
201734.5%
201829.8%
201930.2%
202028.2%

2020: 28.2%. Across these years the share ran from 28.2% to 35.1%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 991 tests reported to CDC for Luzerne 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

Luzerne County, Compared

Luzerne County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Luzerne County's 991 reported tests in 2020 had a middle value of 2.0 pCi/L and a maximum of 295.0 pCi/L, and 28.2% reached 4 pCi/L. Pennsylvania as a whole (67 Pennsylvania counties, pooled) comes to 30.3%: 2.1 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 53rd of 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Perry County reported the highest share (57.7%) and Philadelphia County the lowest (10.6%).

Below the action level, 489 tests (49.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.3% statewide, and 223 tests (22.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 25.4% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2019, with 1,644 tests reported; the quietest, 2014, had 986.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Luzerne County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 96% of the county's land high radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 27.1% in Lackawanna County to 53.5% in Schuylkill County, with Lackawanna County below Luzerne County. Over 7 years of annual figures the share fell 2.4 points, from 30.6% in 2014 to 28.2% in 2020; its peak was 35.1% in 2015.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Luzerne County against Pennsylvania2014 to 2020, years with 30 or more tests: Luzerne County 30.6% to 28.2%, the state's pooled share 30.3% in 2020.
Luzerne CountyPennsylvania, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Luzerne County against Pennsylvania: data table
YearTestsLuzerne County, at or above 4 pCi/LPennsylvania, pooled
201498630.6%36.1%
20151,38135.1%37.8%
20161,41632.9%34.4%
20171,30934.5%35.1%
20181,35829.8%30.5%
20191,64430.2%31.4%
202099128.2%30.3%
Luzerne County against Pennsylvania, the United States and nearby counties, 2020
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Luzerne County
Luzerne County99128.2%2.0 pCi/LThis county
Pennsylvania, pooled67 counties, pooled93,66930.3%Not pooled+2.1 points
United States, pooled915 counties, pooled405,35525.5%Not pooled−2.7 points
Perry Countyhighest in the state18957.7%4.9 pCi/L+29.5 points
Philadelphia Countylowest in the state8,44210.6%1.7 pCi/L−17.6 points
Schuylkill County, PAborders it79753.5%4.5 pCi/L+25.3 points
Carbon County, PAborders it43840.6%3.0 pCi/L+12.4 points
Columbia County, PAborders it40934.7%2.0 pCi/L+6.5 points
Wyoming County, PAborders it12330.9%2.0 pCi/L+2.7 points
Monroe County, PAborders it1,64930.7%2.1 pCi/L+2.5 points
Sullivan County, PAborders it3129.0%2.0 pCi/L+0.8 points
Lackawanna County, PAborders it77627.1%2.1 pCi/L−1.1 points
Where Luzerne County's reported results fell, 2020, beside Pennsylvania and the United States
ResultLuzerne County testsLuzerne County sharePennsylvania shareU.S. shareAgainst Pennsylvania
Under 2 pCi/L48949.3%44.3%51.6%+5.0 points
2 to 4 pCi/L22322.5%25.4%22.9%−2.9 points
4 pCi/L and above27928.2%30.3%25.5%−2.1 points
Luzerne 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
Monroe County48 of 631,64930.7%2.1 pCi/L
Allegheny County49 of 638,33730.5%2.5 pCi/L
Wayne County50 of 6360730.1%2.3 pCi/L
Crawford County51 of 6322129.9%2.6 pCi/L
Sullivan County52 of 633129.0%2.0 pCi/L
Luzerne County53 of 6399128.2%2.0 pCi/L
Lackawanna County54 of 6377627.1%2.1 pCi/L
Chester County55 of 636,77024.0%2.0 pCi/L
Bucks County56 of 637,06623.2%2.0 pCi/L
Erie County57 of 631,16222.2%1.9 pCi/L
Montgomery County58 of 6310,50821.8%2.0 pCi/L
Luzerne County radon tests by year, against Pennsylvania's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestPennsylvania, pooledChange from the row before
202099128.2%2.0 pCi/L295.0 pCi/L30.3%−2.0 points
20191,64430.2%2.2 pCi/L148.3 pCi/L31.4%+0.4 points
20181,35829.8%2.2 pCi/L85.0 pCi/L30.5%−4.7 points
20171,30934.5%2.4 pCi/L237.2 pCi/L35.1%+1.6 points
20161,41632.9%2.4 pCi/L204.7 pCi/L34.4%−2.2 points
20151,38135.1%2.5 pCi/L137.4 pCi/L37.8%+4.5 points
201498630.6%2.2 pCi/L120.0 pCi/L36.1%First on file

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

Luzerne County, State data

Pennsylvania's own radon test data

Measured

What Pennsylvania's own agencies publish about radon tests in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County

Pennsylvania DEP publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 51 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Luzerne County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: Period not stated by DEP.

ZIP codes in Luzerne County
ZIP codeWhat the state reports
17814Basement: average 16.6 pCi/L, 402 tests; First floor: average 5.0 pCi/L, 100 tests
17815Basement: average 11.6 pCi/L, 4,604 tests; First floor: average 5.3 pCi/L, 707 tests
17878Basement: average 15.8 pCi/L, 137 tests; First floor: average 7.0 pCi/L, 36 tests
18201Basement: average 3.2 pCi/L, 1,973 tests; First floor: average 1.3 pCi/L, 293 tests
18202Basement: average 7.5 pCi/L, 1,312 tests; First floor: average 3.4 pCi/L, 105 tests
18216Basement: average 3.8 pCi/L, 43 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18219Basement: average 7.8 pCi/L, 467 tests; First floor: average 5.0 pCi/L, 55 tests
18221Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18222Basement: average 7.0 pCi/L, 2,500 tests; First floor: average 4.4 pCi/L, 241 tests
18223Basement: figures not shown
18224Basement: average 6.7 pCi/L, 449 tests; First floor: average 2.6 pCi/L, 95 tests
18225Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18234Basement: average 4.9 pCi/L, 34 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18239Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18241Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18246Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18249Basement: average 10.7 pCi/L, 924 tests; First floor: average 5.8 pCi/L, 119 tests
18255Basement: average 13.4 pCi/L, 633 tests; First floor: average 5.6 pCi/L, 107 tests
18256Basement: figures not shown
18424Basement: average 4.7 pCi/L, 884 tests; First floor: average 2.1 pCi/L, 317 tests
18602Basement: average 5.2 pCi/L, 181 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18603Basement: average 10.1 pCi/L, 2,020 tests; First floor: average 6.5 pCi/L, 412 tests
18610Basement: average 7.1 pCi/L, 784 tests; First floor: average 2.4 pCi/L, 332 tests
18612Basement: average 4.7 pCi/L, 4,098 tests; First floor: average 2.4 pCi/L, 353 tests
18615Basement: average 9.4 pCi/L, 128 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18617Basement: average 2.3 pCi/L, 104 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18618Basement: average 4.5 pCi/L, 481 tests; First floor: average 2.2 pCi/L, 94 tests
18621Basement: average 7.0 pCi/L, 451 tests; First floor: average 2.9 pCi/L, 46 tests
18622Basement: figures not shown; First floor: figures not shown
18627Basement: average 5.2 pCi/L, 55 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18634Basement: average 4.0 pCi/L, 1,354 tests; First floor: average 1.3 pCi/L, 167 tests
18635Basement: average 21.3 pCi/L, 375 tests; First floor: average 4.4 pCi/L, 46 tests
18636Basement: average 6.3 pCi/L, 54 tests; First floor: figures not shown
18640Basement: average 3.7 pCi/L, 1,991 tests; First floor: average 1.7 pCi/L, 209 tests
18641Basement: average 6.1 pCi/L, 851 tests; First floor: average 2.0 pCi/L, 85 tests
18642Basement: average 4.2 pCi/L, 679 tests; First floor: average 1.9 pCi/L, 83 tests
18643Basement: average 3.6 pCi/L, 2,006 tests; First floor: average 2.1 pCi/L, 152 tests
18644Basement: average 4.7 pCi/L, 1,601 tests; First floor: average 2.0 pCi/L, 196 tests
18651Basement: average 3.3 pCi/L, 630 tests; First floor: average 1.6 pCi/L, 108 tests
18655Basement: average 6.9 pCi/L, 644 tests; First floor: average 2.6 pCi/L, 96 tests
18656Basement: average 5.8 pCi/L, 283 tests; First floor: average 3.6 pCi/L, 39 tests
18660Basement: average 9.2 pCi/L, 355 tests; First floor: average 5.7 pCi/L, 53 tests
18661Basement: average 5.5 pCi/L, 845 tests; First floor: average 2.5 pCi/L, 194 tests
18701Basement: average 7.0 pCi/L, 171 tests; First floor: average 0.9 pCi/L, 46 tests
18702Basement: average 2.8 pCi/L, 4,089 tests; First floor: average 1.2 pCi/L, 572 tests
18704Basement: average 3.7 pCi/L, 5,072 tests; First floor: average 1.4 pCi/L, 503 tests
18705Basement: average 3.3 pCi/L, 1,809 tests; First floor: average 1.4 pCi/L, 183 tests
18706Basement: average 2.7 pCi/L, 868 tests; First floor: average 1.8 pCi/L, 257 tests
18707Basement: average 4.4 pCi/L, 5,124 tests; First floor: average 2.2 pCi/L, 428 tests
18708Basement: average 5.7 pCi/L, 2,779 tests; First floor: average 3.0 pCi/L, 206 tests
18709Basement: average 4.5 pCi/L, 325 tests; First floor: average 2.6 pCi/L, 51 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.

Luzerne County, Geology

The ground under Luzerne County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Luzerne County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 96.3% of its land is high radon potential, with 3.7% moderate. The map puts 93.1% of Luzerne County in the area it calls Appalachian Mountain Section and 3.7% in Glaciated Low Plateau East and Pocono Plateau, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Luzerne County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Appalachian Mountain SectionPaleozoic sandstone, shale, and limestone.High1293.1%
Glaciated Low Plateau East and Pocono PlateauModerately thick glacial till overlying sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, and shale.Moderate103.7%
Mountainous High PlateauSandstone, shale and conglomerate.High123.2%

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

Luzerne County beside the ground around it

Luzerne County has more high-potential ground than Pennsylvania as a whole: 96.3% of its land against 70.4%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Schuylkill County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Luzerne County, the 7 counties bordering it and Pennsylvania
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Luzerne CountyZone 1None3.7%96.3%
Carbon CountyZone 1None14.2%85.8%
Lackawanna CountyZone 1None28.4%71.6%
Wyoming CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Columbia CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Schuylkill CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Sullivan CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Monroe CountyZone 1None67.7%32.3%
Pennsylvania67 counties, pooled by land areaVaries0.7%28.9%70.4%

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

Local help

Luzerne County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Luzerne County

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

Luzerne County, Questions

Questions about radon in Luzerne County

Are radon levels high in Luzerne County?

In 2020, 28.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Luzerne County, Pennsylvania were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 52 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.3%.

Which counties border Luzerne County?

Luzerne County borders 7 counties: Carbon County, Lackawanna County, Wyoming County, Columbia County, Schuylkill County, Sullivan County and Monroe County.

Products

Luzerne County, Products

Testing a home in Luzerne County

In Luzerne County, 28.2% of 991 tests reported to CDC in 2020 reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.3% pooled across Pennsylvania. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Luzerne 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

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

Explore

Luzerne County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Luzerne County

Calculated by Radon411

Luzerne County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Luzerne County

The Census Bureau estimates 332,126 residents in Luzerne County for July 1, 2025, 6,931 more than in 2020 (+2.1%). That works out to 373 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Wilkes-Barre, the largest, has 44,523 residents, 13.4% of the total. Together its 40 incorporated places hold 57.7% of those residents; the other 42.3% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 991 tests over 2020, or 3.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Pennsylvania as a whole comes to 7.2.

From Wilkes-Barre to Jeddo, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Luzerne County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Luzerne County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Wilkes-Barre44,523+0.6%13.4%
Hazleton30,286+1.5%9.1%
Kingston13,462+1.0%4.1%
Nanticoke10,712+1.0%3.2%
Pittston7,715+2.1%2.3%
Plymouth5,801+1.0%1.7%
Exeter5,587+1.4%1.7%
West Hazleton5,284+1.1%1.6%
Duryea5,157+2.5%1.6%
Swoyersville5,155+1.8%1.6%
Edwardsville4,927+1.3%1.5%
West Pittston4,682+1.0%1.4%
  • Larksville
  • Forty Fort
  • Freeland
  • Wyoming
  • Harveys Lake
  • Luzerne
  • Dallas
  • West Wyoming
  • Ashley
  • Dupont
  • Avoca
  • Conyngham
  • Nescopeck
  • Laflin
  • Hughestown
  • White Haven
  • Sugar Notch
  • Pringle
  • Courtdale
  • Nuangola
  • Yatesville
  • Shickshinny
  • Laurel Run
  • Warrior Run
The other 4 places in Luzerne County
  • Penn Lake Park
  • Bear Creek Village
  • New Columbus
  • Jeddo

40 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).

Luzerne County, Homes

Homes in Luzerne County

Of Luzerne County's 151,012 homes, 64% are detached houses, against 57% across Pennsylvania; 8% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1959, close to Pennsylvania's 1965: 51% date from before 1960 and 9% from 2000 or later. 68% 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 2019 to 2023
HomesLuzerne CountyPennsylvania
Housing units151,0125,779,663
Detached houses64%57%
In buildings of 5 or more8%13%
Mobile homes3%4%
Built before 196051%45%
Built since 20009%14%
Middle year built19591965
Owner-occupied68%69%

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