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Radon Levels in Benton County, Tennessee

EPA puts Benton County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    32.3%

    1.1 pts below TN

    Benton
    32.3%
    Tennessee
    33.4%

    31 tests, 2007 to 2016

  • Median result

    1.7pCi/L

    Below action level

    Benton
    1.7 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016

  • Tests reported

    31

    77th of 77 by tests

    Benton
    31
    Davidson
    5,151

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016

  • 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 Tennessee

    36 of 77

    Middle half

    Benton
    32.3%
    Jefferson
    58.6%

    By share, of 77 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Benton County

Starts at Benton County's median, 1.7 pCi/L

1.7pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.7 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. Benton County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.

Interpret this reading

The data

Benton County, At a glance

Benton County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Benton 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: High across 66% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Benton County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Benton County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Benton County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
202250.0%
20230.0%

2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 50.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Benton County over 2023, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Benton County, Compared

Benton County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Benton County, about 3 in 10 reported tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals (10 of 31) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.8%, the gap is 3.5 points lower. Across 95 Tennessee counties pooled together, 33.4% of tests reached that level, so Benton County runs 1.1 points below its state.

The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 31-test figure.

Of 4 neighbours with a figure, none reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 17.2% (Henry County) to 29.3% (Perry County). By share, Benton County is 36th of 77 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Half the tests came in under 1.7 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 10.1 pCi/L. Below the action level, 16 tests (51.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 42.3% statewide, and 5 tests (16.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.3% statewide.

Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 32.3% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 66% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2022, with 6 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 1.

Benton County against Tennessee, the United States and nearby counties, 2007 to 2016, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Benton County
Benton County3132.3%1.7 pCi/LThis county
Tennessee, pooled95 counties, pooled28,89833.4%Not pooled+1.1 points
United States, pooled2,666 counties, pooled1,939,02535.8%Not pooled+3.5 points
Jefferson Countyhighest in the state14058.6%4.8 pCi/L+26.3 points
Chester Countylowest in the state420.0%1.0 pCi/L−32.3 points
Perry County, TNborders it4129.3%1.7 pCi/L−3.0 points
Decatur County, TNborders it1926.3%2.4 pCi/L−6.0 points
Houston County, TNborders it1625.0%2.8 pCi/L−7.3 points
Stewart County, TNborders it9225.0%2.1 pCi/L−7.3 points
Humphreys County, TNborders it10223.5%2.1 pCi/L−8.8 points
Carroll County, TNborders it2222.7%1.0 pCi/L−9.6 points
Henry County, TNborders it5817.2%1.7 pCi/L−15.1 points
Where Benton County's reported results fell, 2007 to 2016, laboratory, beside Tennessee and the United States
ResultBenton County testsBenton County shareTennessee shareU.S. shareAgainst Tennessee
Under 2 pCi/L1651.6%42.3%39.6%+9.3 points
2 to 4 pCi/L516.1%24.3%24.6%−8.2 points
4 pCi/L and above1032.3%33.4%35.8%−1.1 points
Benton County ranked among the 77 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2007 to 2016, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Moore County31 of 775435.2%3.0 pCi/L
Knox County32 of 772,23634.5%2.5 pCi/L
Montgomery County33 of 7754334.3%2.3 pCi/L
Hickman County34 of 7710433.7%2.2 pCi/L
Roane County35 of 7722733.5%2.4 pCi/L
Benton County36 of 773132.3%1.7 pCi/L
DeKalb County37 of 776331.7%3.1 pCi/L
Johnson County38 of 7713731.4%2.1 pCi/L
Polk County39 of 773231.3%2.1 pCi/L
Rhea County40 of 773930.8%2.5 pCi/L
Clay County41 of 774630.4%2.2 pCi/L
Benton County radon tests by year, against Tennessee's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestTennessee, pooledChange from the row before
202310.0%1.4 pCi/L1.4 pCi/L24.9%−50.0 points
2022650.0%3.8 pCi/L6.3 pCi/L23.8%First on file

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

Benton County, Geology

The ground under Benton County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map splits Benton County: 65.8% of its land is high radon potential and 34.2% moderate. The map puts 65.8% of Benton County in the area it calls Cherty Highland and 34.2% in East Coastal Plain. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Benton County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Cherty HighlandCherty dolostone.High1265.8%
East Coastal PlainCretaceous and younger marine and fluvial sand, clay, and marl.Moderate934.2%

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

Benton County beside the ground around it

Benton County has more high-potential ground than Tennessee as a whole: 65.8% of its land against 47.2%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Perry County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Benton County, the 7 counties bordering it and Tennessee
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Benton CountyZone 2None34.2%65.8%
Humphreys CountyZone 1None41.6%58.4%
Henry CountyZone 361.5%30.4%8.1%
Carroll CountyZone 374.9%25.1%None
Houston CountyZone 2None78.5%21.5%
Decatur CountyZone 2None32.7%67.3%
Perry CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Stewart CountyZone 2None82.7%17.3%
Tennessee95 counties, pooled by land areaVaries30.5%22.3%47.2%

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

Local help

Benton County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Benton County

What Tennessee's program says
Phone
1-800-232-1139
Email
TDEC.Radon@tn.gov

What it means

Benton County, Questions

Questions about radon in Benton County

Are radon levels high in Benton County?

In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Benton County, Tennessee were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.4 pCi/L. Of 77 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 35 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 33.4%.

Which counties border Benton County?

Benton County borders 7 counties: Humphreys County, Henry County, Carroll County, Houston County, Decatur County, Perry County and Stewart County.

Products

Benton County, Products

Testing a home in Benton County

In Benton County, 32.3% of 31 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 33.4% pooled across Tennessee. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Benton County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Benton County homes, compared

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Benton County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Benton County

Calculated by Radon411

Benton County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Benton County

The Census Bureau estimates 16,183 residents in Benton County for July 1, 2025, 336 more than in 2020 (+2.1%). That works out to 41 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Camden, has 3,690 residents, 22.8% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 25.8% of those residents; the other 74.2% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 31 tests over 2007 to 2016, or 1.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Tennessee as a whole comes to 4.0.

From Camden to Big Sandy, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Benton County's.

The cities and towns in Benton County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Camden3,690+0.4%22.8%
Big Sandy489+1.9%3.0%

2 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).

Benton County, Homes

Homes in Benton County

Of Benton County's 8,544 homes, 68% are detached houses, against 68% across Tennessee; 29% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1983, close to Tennessee's 1986: 16% date from before 1960 and 21% from 2000 or later. 75% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Tennessee: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Benton County, Tennessee, 2019 to 2023
HomesBenton CountyTennessee
Housing units8,5443,095,472
Detached houses68%68%
In buildings of 5 or more2%14%
Mobile homes29%8%
Built before 196016%18%
Built since 200021%29%
Middle year built19831986
Owner-occupied75%67%

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