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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Beadle County, South Dakota
EPA puts Beadle County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 59.3% of the 54 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) came back 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
59.3%
0.8 pts above SD
- Beadle
- 59.3%
- SD
- 58.5%
54 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.8pCi/L
Action level reached
- Beadle
- 4.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
54
18th of 23 by tests
- Beadle
- 54
- Minnehaha
- 1,920
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in SD
12 of 23
Middle half
- Beadle
- 59.3%
- Lake
- 76.0%
By share, of 23 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Beadle County
Starts at Beadle County's median, 4.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.8 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Beadle County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Beadle County, At a glance
Beadle County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Beadle County in
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 Beadle County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 28%2 to 4 pCi/L: 13%4 pCi/L and above: 59%
Of 54 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 15 | 27.8% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 7 | 13.0% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 32 | 59.3% |
What these figures count
These are the 54 tests reported to CDC for Beadle 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).
Beadle County, Compared
Beadle County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 59.3% of the 54 radon tests reported to CDC for Beadle County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 12th of 23 South Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 0.8 points above the 58.5% pooled from 62 South Dakota counties.
The median result, 4.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 27.1 pCi/L. The rest split 27.8% under 2 pCi/L and 13.0% from 2 to 4 (South Dakota: 23.6% and 17.9%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 59.3% share point the same way here.
Kingsbury County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 68.2%. Statewide for the same period, Lake County reported the highest share (76.0%) and Davison County the lowest (48.8%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Beadle County went from 48 tests (2005 to 2014) to 54 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 64.6% to 59.3%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Beadle County sits 23.6 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Beadle County, Geology
The ground under Beadle County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Beadle County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Missouri Coteau/James River Lowland/Coteau des Prairies, to which USGS gives a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Coteau/James River Lowland/Coteau des Prairies | Glacial drift derived largely from Cretaceous marine shale. | High | 14 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Beadle County beside the ground around it
Beadle County has more high-potential ground than South Dakota as a whole: 100% of its land against 56.7%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Clark County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Beadle County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Beadle County
- South Dakota's radon programDepartment of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesSouth Dakota's radon program offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in South Dakota.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) will provide 500 free Radon test kits to South Dakota Residents.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in South Dakota5 professionals are listed in South Dakota.
What South Dakota's program says
- Phone
- 1-800-438-3367
What it means
Beadle County, Questions
Questions about radon in Beadle County
Are radon levels high in Beadle County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 59.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Beadle County, South Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.8 pCi/L. Of 23 South Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 11 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Beadle County?
Beadle County borders 6 counties: Sanborn County, Jerauld County, Hand County, Kingsbury County, Clark County and Spink County.
Products
Beadle County, Products
Testing a home in Beadle County
In Beadle County, 59.3% of 54 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 58.5% pooled across South Dakota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Beadle 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-3786 rechargeable radon monitor with a 3.5-inch color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Beadle County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Beadle County
Explore
Beadle County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Beadle County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Hand CountyEPA zone 1
81.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.8 pCi/L · 11 tests · 22.5 points above Beadle County
- Radon levels in Clark CountyEPA zone 1
77.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.9 pCi/L · 9 tests · 18.5 points above Beadle County
- Radon levels in Sanborn CountyEPA zone 1
71.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.5 pCi/L · 7 tests · 12.1 points above Beadle County
- Radon levels in Jerauld CountyEPA zone 1
69.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 8.8 pCi/L · 23 tests · 10.3 points above Beadle County
- Radon levels in Kingsbury CountyEPA zone 1
68.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.4 pCi/L · 44 tests · 8.9 points above Beadle County
- Radon levels in Spink CountyEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 24 tests · 9.3 points below Beadle County
Beadle County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Beadle County
The Census Bureau estimates 19,624 residents in Beadle County for July 1, 2025, 462 more than in 2020 (+2.4%). That works out to 16 people per square mile of land. Huron alone is home to 14,607 of them, 74.4% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 54 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 2.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where South Dakota as a whole comes to 6.7.
From Huron to Virgil, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Beadle County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron | 14,607 | +2.4% | 74.4% |
| Wolsey | 471 | +2.6% | 2.4% |
| Iroquoisextends beyond Beadle County | 294 | −1.3% | Counted whole |
| Wessingtonextends beyond Beadle County | 201 | +2.6% | Counted whole |
| Cavour | 131 | +4.0% | 0.7% |
| Hitchcock | 111 | +1.8% | 0.6% |
| Yale | 107 | +1.9% | 0.5% |
| Broadland | 27 | Level | 0.1% |
| Virgil | 25 | Level | 0.1% |
9 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 Beadle County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Beadle County, Homes
Homes in Beadle County
Of Beadle County's 8,453 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 67% across South Dakota; 14% are in buildings of five or more homes. The homes are older than South Dakota's as a whole: half were built before 1964 (1979 for South Dakota), and 45% date from before 1960. 70% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (South Dakota: 69%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Beadle County | South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 8,453 | 402,364 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 67% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 14% | 16% |
| Mobile homes | 7% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 45% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 28% |
| Middle year built | 1964 | 1979 |
| Owner-occupied | 70% | 69% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.