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Radon Levels in Cherokee County, South Carolina

EPA puts Cherokee County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 13.7% of 153 (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) reached 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

    13.7%

    5.7 pts below SC

    Cherokee
    13.7%
    SC
    19.4%

    153 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.6pCi/L

    Below action level

    Cherokee
    1.6 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    153

    14th of 24 by tests

    Cherokee
    153
    Greenville
    12,004

    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 SC

    8 of 24

    Middle half

    Cherokee
    13.7%
    Oconee
    42.6%

    By share, of 24 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Cherokee County

Starts at Cherokee County's median, 1.6 pCi/L

1.6pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.6 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 98% 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: 58%2 to 4 pCi/L: 28%4 pCi/L and above: 14%

Of 153 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/L8958.2%
2 to 4 pCi/L4328.1%
4 pCi/L and above2113.7%
What these figures count

These are the 153 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

Cherokee County reports fewer high tests than South Carolina overall. 13.7% of its 153 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 5.7 points below the 19.4% pooled from 46 South Carolina counties.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 8th of 24 South Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Cherokee County sits 22.0 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 13.6% in York County to 39.5% in Cleveland County, NC, with York County below Cherokee County. Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 13.7% share point the same way here.

Half the tests came in under 1.6 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 32.0 pCi/L. The rest split 58.2% under 2 pCi/L and 28.1% from 2 to 4 (South Carolina: 57.4% and 23.1%).

CDC's ten-year totals for Cherokee County went from 141 tests (2005 to 2014) to 153 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 16.3% to 13.7%.

Cherokee County against South Carolina, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Cherokee County
Cherokee County15313.7%1.6 pCi/LThis county
South Carolina, pooled46 counties, pooled26,48119.4%Not pooled+5.7 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+22.0 points
Oconee Countyhighest in the state2,46942.6%3.3 pCi/L+28.9 points
Florence Countylowest in the state590.0%0.7 pCi/L−13.7 points
Cleveland County, NCborders it51139.5%2.8 pCi/L+25.8 points
Rutherford County, NCborders it51125.6%2.4 pCi/L+11.9 points
Spartanburg County, SCborders it3,28019.1%1.7 pCi/L+5.4 points
York County, SCborders it1,41213.6%1.2 pCi/L−0.1 points
Union County, SCborders it270.0%1.0 pCi/L−13.7 points
Where Cherokee County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside South Carolina and the United States
ResultCherokee County testsCherokee County shareSouth Carolina shareU.S. shareAgainst South Carolina
Under 2 pCi/L8958.2%57.4%39.6%+0.8 points
2 to 4 pCi/L4328.1%23.1%24.7%+5.0 points
4 pCi/L and above2113.7%19.4%35.7%−5.7 points
Cherokee County ranked among the 24 South Carolina counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Abbeville County3 of 246622.7%1.8 pCi/L
Greenville County4 of 2412,00419.6%1.7 pCi/L
Spartanburg County5 of 243,28019.1%1.7 pCi/L
Newberry County6 of 247516.0%1.1 pCi/L
Laurens County7 of 2424413.9%1.3 pCi/L
Cherokee County8 of 2415313.7%1.6 pCi/L
Lancaster County9 of 2437413.6%1.6 pCi/L
York County10 of 241,41213.6%1.2 pCi/L
Aiken County11 of 2424113.3%1.3 pCi/L
Lexington County12 of 2459112.5%0.9 pCi/L
Sumter County13 of 244211.9%1.3 pCi/L
Cherokee County ten-year laboratory totals, against South Carolina's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestSouth Carolina, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201715313.7%1.6 pCi/L32.0 pCi/L19.4%−1.1 points
2007 to 201614914.8%1.7 pCi/L32.0 pCi/L19.3%−0.2 points
2006 to 201514715.0%1.7 pCi/L32.0 pCi/L19.8%−1.3 points
2005 to 201414116.3%1.7 pCi/L32.0 pCi/L19.8%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: 97.6% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 2.4% low. The map puts 50.7% of Cherokee County in the area it calls Inner Piedmont Belt and 38.1% in Kings Mountain Belt, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Cherokee County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Inner Piedmont BeltProterozoic through Cambrian biotite gneiss and schist, and mica schist.Moderate1150.7%
Kings Mountain BeltProterozoic-Cambrain metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks.Moderate1138.1%
Carolina and Charlotte Belt GranitesGranite and granite gneissModerate118.7%
Charlotte BeltBiotite gneiss and schist, metavolcanic rocks, mica gneiss.Low82.4%

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 South Carolina 0.2% of the land is rated high; none of Cherokee County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Rutherford County, NC the most at 0.3%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Cherokee County, the 5 counties bordering it and South Carolina
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Cherokee CountyZone 22.4%97.6%None
Spartanburg CountyZone 2None100%None
Union CountyZone 346.4%53.6%None
York CountyZone 279.0%21.0%None
Cleveland County, NCZone 2None100%None
Rutherford County, NCZone 2None99.7%0.3%
South Carolina46 counties, pooled by land areaVaries80.8%18.2%0.2%

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 South Carolina's program says
Phone
1-800-768-0362
Email
radon@des.sc.gov

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, 13.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Cherokee County, South Carolina were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.6 pCi/L. Of 24 South Carolina counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 7 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 19.4%.

Which counties border Cherokee County?

Cherokee County borders 5 counties: Spartanburg County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC, Cleveland County, NC and Rutherford County, NC.

Products

Cherokee County, Products

Testing a home in Cherokee County

In Cherokee County, 13.7% of 153 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 19.4% pooled across South Carolina. 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

Explore

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 58,275 residents in Cherokee County for July 1, 2025, 2,050 more than in 2020 (+3.6%). That works out to 148 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Gaffney, has 12,583 residents, 21.6% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 153 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 2.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where South Carolina as a whole comes to 4.8.

From Gaffney to Smyrna, 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
Gaffney12,583−1.1%21.6%
Blacksburg1,965+4.1%3.4%
Chesneeextends beyond Cherokee County958+15.7%Counted whole
Smyrnaextends beyond Cherokee County56LevelCounted 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 24,945 homes, 64% are detached houses, against 64% across South Carolina; 25% are mobile homes. The homes are older than South Carolina's as a whole: half were built before 1982 (1991 for South Carolina), and 16% date from before 1960. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (South Carolina: 71%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Cherokee County, South Carolina, 2019 to 2023
HomesCherokee CountySouth Carolina
Housing units24,9452,401,638
Detached houses64%64%
In buildings of 5 or more7%13%
Mobile homes25%15%
Built before 196016%13%
Built since 200022%35%
Middle year built19821991
Owner-occupied73%71%

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