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Radon in Scranton, Pennsylvania

EPA puts Lackawanna County, where Scranton is, in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 27.1% of its 776 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

    27.1%

    3.2 pts below PA

    Lackawanna
    27.1%
    PA
    30.3%

    Lackawanna, 54th of 63 in PA, 2020

  • Median result

    2.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Lackawanna
    2.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of Lackawanna's tests, 2020

  • Nearest county

    30.9%

    Wyoming, 20 miles

    Wyoming
    30.9%
    Lackawanna
    27.1%

    123 tests, 2020

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    Lackawanna, where Scranton is

  • Tests reported

    776

    In Lackawanna

    Lackawanna
    776
    Wyoming
    123

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2020

Read a result for Scranton

Starts at Lackawanna County's median, 2.1 pCi/L

2.1pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.1 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. Lackawanna County's median reported result, 2020.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Scranton, What is published

What is published for Scranton

Information:

Every figure for Scranton is a county's

Radon data is published by county, not by city, so for Scranton it is Lackawanna County's: its EPA zone (Zone 1) and the 776 tests reported to CDC for 2020. Only a test tells you about one home.

Scranton covers 25.3 square miles of land, all of it in Lackawanna County. About 75,514 people live there, 2,984 to the square mile.

Scranton, Counties

The county Scranton lies in

Measured

Lackawanna County's EPA zone and the figures CDC publishes for it, 2020.

Lackawanna CountyZone 1Highest predicted potential

27.1%
Reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
2.1 pCi/L
Median reported result
776 tests
Tests reported to CDC
7
Annual years on file

Lackawanna County ranks 54th of 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests for that period, 3.2 points below the 30.3% pooled across Pennsylvania's counties, 1.6 points above the national pool of 25.5%.

The counties nearest Scranton with a CDC figure for 2020, measured from the middle of the city: Wyoming County (20 miles, 30.9% of 123 tests), Luzerne County (23 miles, 28.2% of 991 tests) and Wayne County (25 miles, 30.1% of 607 tests). Across the 8 nearest, the share at or above 4 pCi/L runs from 28.2% to 40.6%; the farthest of them, Sullivan County, is 44 miles away at 29.0%.

The directory lists 1 business with an address in Scranton, 1 for mitigation. Pennsylvania's other cities with a page of their own: Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg and Malvern.

The counties around Scranton

By distance from the middle of Scranton; counties with 30 or more tests.

Nearest counties to Scranton with 30 or more tests
CountyDistanceTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Wyoming County20 mi12330.9%2.0 pCi/L
Luzerne County23 mi99128.2%2.0 pCi/L
Wayne County25 mi60730.1%2.3 pCi/L
Monroe County29 mi1,64930.7%2.1 pCi/L
Susquehanna County30 mi11637.9%3.0 pCi/L
Pike County33 mi1,15830.7%2.2 pCi/L
Carbon County34 mi43840.6%3.0 pCi/L
Sullivan County44 mi3129.0%2.0 pCi/L

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones, by county. Measured: CDC tracking data, by county, 2020.

Scranton, Geology

The ground under Scranton

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Scranton's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Appalachian Mountain Section, to which USGS gives a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Scranton
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Appalachian Mountain SectionPaleozoic sandstone, shale, and limestone.High12100%

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

Scranton beside its county and Pennsylvania

Scranton sits on more high-potential ground than Lackawanna County as a whole: 100% of the city against 71.6% of the county. Scranton has more high-potential ground than Pennsylvania as a whole: 100% of its land against 70.4%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Scranton, the county it lies in and Pennsylvania
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
ScrantonBy countyNoneNone100%
Lackawanna CountyZone 1None28.4%71.6%
Pennsylvania67 counties, pooled by land areaVaries0.7%28.9%70.4%

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

Scranton, Homes

Homes in Scranton

Fewer than six in ten of Scranton's 35,623 homes are detached houses (49%, against 65% across Lackawanna County); the rest are attached, in shared buildings or mobile. More than half of its homes were built before 1940, where the middle year for Lackawanna County is 1955; 5% have gone up since 2000. 51% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Lackawanna County: 65%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, 2019 to 2023
HomesScrantonLackawanna CountyPennsylvania
Housing units35,623100,0135,779,663
Detached houses49%65%57%
In buildings of 5 or more15%8%13%
Mobile homesunder 1%2%4%
Built before 196072%54%45%
Built since 20005%10%14%
Middle year built1939 or earlier19551965
Owner-occupied51%65%69%

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

Local help

Scranton, Professionals

Radon professionals listed in Scranton

Businesses whose listed city is Scranton, from the state registries and listings in the Radon411 directory, with the same business and certification status the directory shows.

1 listing with Scranton as the city. See radon mitigation in Scranton, or all radon professionals in Pennsylvania.

Scranton, Local resources

Local resources for Scranton

Who to ask in Pennsylvania: its radon program, test kits and professionals.

The program's own words on licensing are on the Pennsylvania page.

What it means

Scranton, Questions

Questions about radon in Scranton

What radon zone is Scranton in?

Scranton has no zone of its own: it shares Lackawanna County's, Zone 1, the map's highest class: a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L.

What are radon levels in Scranton?

A high result is no surprise around Scranton: 27.1% of 776 tests reported from Lackawanna County for 2020 reached 4 pCi/L or more. The median reported result was 2.1 pCi/L.

Should I test my home in Scranton?

Yes. About 210 of the 776 tests reported from Lackawanna County were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is below Pennsylvania's pooled 30.3%, and still not a reason to skip it, and ranks Lackawanna County 54th of the 63 Pennsylvania counties with 30 or more tests. No map says which homes those are. How to test a home.

What ground is Scranton built on, as far as radon goes?

USGS's geologic map puts all of Scranton on one named area, "Appalachian Mountain Section", rated high for radon potential, radon index 12.

Is radon higher in the counties around Scranton?

Yes, in every direction measured. Each of the 8 nearest counties with a figure reports a larger share of high tests than Lackawanna County's 27.1%; the highest is Carbon County (40.6%, 34 miles off).

Who tests for or fixes radon in Scranton?

Radon411's directory has one business with an address in Scranton, listed for mitigation, none for testing. Every entry names the public list it was taken from. Radon professionals in Scranton.

The answers use the published figures of Lackawanna County, the county Scranton lies in.

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