Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Meade County, South Dakota
EPA puts Meade County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and high results are common there: 51.8% of the 197 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
51.8%
6.7 pts below SD
- Meade
- 51.8%
- SD
- 58.5%
197 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.1pCi/L
Action level reached
- Meade
- 4.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
197
6th of 23 by tests
- Meade
- 197
- Minnehaha
- 1,920
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in SD
20 of 23
Lowest quarter
- Meade
- 51.8%
- Lake
- 76.0%
By share, of 23 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Meade County
Starts at Meade County's median, 4.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.1 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. Meade County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Meade County, At a glance
Meade County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Meade County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 91% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Meade County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 27%2 to 4 pCi/L: 21%4 pCi/L and above: 52%
Of 197 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 54 | 27.4% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 41 | 20.8% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 102 | 51.8% |
What these figures count
These are the 197 tests reported to CDC for Meade 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).
Meade County, Compared
Meade County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 51.8% of the 197 radon tests reported to CDC for Meade County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 20th of 23 South Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 6.7 points below the 58.5% pooled from 62 South Dakota counties.
The median result, 4.1 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 67.0 pCi/L. The rest split 27.4% under 2 pCi/L and 20.8% from 2 to 4 (South Dakota: 23.6% and 17.9%). The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Meade County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 51.8% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.
All 2 of its bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Lawrence County at 56.9%; the lowest of them, Pennington County, reported 53.6%. 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 Meade County went from 100 tests (2005 to 2014) to 197 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 54.0% to 51.8%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Meade County sits 16.1 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Meade County, Geology
The ground under Meade County
PredictedMost of the ground under Meade County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 91.1% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 8.9% high. The map puts 86.8% of Meade County in the area it calls Pierre Hills and 7.4% in Black Hills, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 14, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre Hills | Pierre Shale and Fox Hills sandstone. | Moderate | 10 | 86.8% |
| Black Hills | Sandstones and shales of Cretaceous age that surround the Black Hills. | High | 14 | 7.4% |
| Black Hills | Late Paleozoic sedimentary or Precambrian intrusive igneous rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 4.3% |
| Great Plains (Unglaciated) | Early Tertiary sandstones. Some units host uranium deposits. | High | 14 | 1.5% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Meade County beside the ground around it
South Dakota as a whole has more high-potential ground than Meade County: 56.7% of its land, against 8.9% here. Of the 6 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Perkins County the most at 53.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Meade County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Meade 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
Meade County, Questions
Questions about radon in Meade County
Are radon levels high in Meade County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 51.8% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Meade County, South Dakota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.1 pCi/L. Of 23 South Dakota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 19 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Meade County?
Meade County borders 6 counties: Pennington County, Butte County, Lawrence County, Haakon County, Ziebach County and Perkins County.
Products
Meade County, Products
Testing a home in Meade County
In Meade County, 51.8% of 197 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 58.5% pooled across South Dakota. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Meade County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
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
MonitorSafetySiren
Pro4 plug-in radon detector with a display and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 48 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Meade County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Meade County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Ziebach CountyEPA zone 2
100.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 11.6 pCi/L · 3 tests · 48.2 points above Meade County
- Radon levels in Haakon CountyEPA zone 2
80.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 8.0 pCi/L · 5 tests · 28.2 points above Meade County
- Radon levels in Perkins CountyEPA zone 1
76.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 8.1 pCi/L · 13 tests · 25.1 points above Meade County
- Radon levels in Butte CountyEPA zone 2
58.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.4 pCi/L · 24 tests · 6.5 points above Meade County
- Radon levels in Lawrence CountyEPA zone 2
56.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.3 pCi/L · 160 tests · 5.1 points above Meade County
- Radon levels in Pennington CountyEPA zone 2
53.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 1,029 tests · 1.8 points above Meade County
Meade County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Meade County
The Census Bureau estimates 30,711 residents in Meade County for July 1, 2025, 814 more than in 2020 (+2.7%). Spread over its land, that is 8.8 people to the square mile. Box Elder, the largest place on its list (13,936 residents in all), extends beyond Meade County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. CDC's 197 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 6.4 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to South Dakota's 6.7.
From Box Elder to Buffalo Chip, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Meade County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Elderextends beyond Meade County | 13,936 | +16.6% | Counted whole |
| Sturgis | 6,922 | −2.5% | 22.5% |
| Summerset | 3,030 | +1.8% | 9.9% |
| Piedmont | 1,245 | −4.2% | 4.1% |
| Faith | 347 | −6.7% | 1.1% |
- Buffalo Chip
6 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). A place that extends beyond Meade County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Meade County, Homes
Homes in Meade County
Of Meade County's 12,648 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 67% across South Dakota; 13% are mobile homes. Much of Meade County is recent building: 34% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1989, against 1979 for South Dakota. 73% 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 | Meade County | South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 12,648 | 402,364 |
| Detached houses | 69% | 67% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 16% |
| Mobile homes | 13% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 15% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 34% | 28% |
| Middle year built | 1989 | 1979 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 69% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.