Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Jackson County, Tennessee
EPA puts Jackson County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 2 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
45.3%
11.9 pts above TN
- Jackson
- 45.3%
- Tennessee
- 33.4%
53 tests, 2007 to 2016
Median result
3.7pCi/L
Below action level
- Jackson
- 3.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2007 to 2016
Tests reported
53
63rd of 77 by tests
- Jackson
- 53
- Davidson
- 5,151
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2007 to 2016
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Tennessee
16 of 77
Top quarter
- Jackson
- 45.3%
- Jefferson
- 58.6%
By share, of 77 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Jackson County
Starts at Jackson County's median, 3.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.7 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Jackson County's median reported result, 2007 to 2016.
The data
Jackson County, At a glance
Jackson County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Jackson County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 82% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Jackson County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 50.0% |
2023: 50.0%. 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 2 tests were reported to CDC for Jackson 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).
Jackson County, Compared
Jackson County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Jackson County, about 5 in 10 reported tests over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals (24 of 53) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.8%, the gap is 9.5 points higher. Across 95 Tennessee counties pooled together, 33.4% of tests reached that level, so Jackson County runs 11.9 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 2 tests (50.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 53-test figure.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 20.0% (Macon County) to 48.1% (Smith County). By share, Jackson County is 16th of 77 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.7 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 149.3 pCi/L. Below the action level, 21 tests (39.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 42.3% statewide, and 8 tests (15.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.3% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 45.3% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 82% of the county's land high radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2022, with 9 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 2.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Jackson County, Geology
The ground under Jackson County
PredictedMost of the ground under Jackson County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 81.9% of its land is high radon potential, with 18.1% moderate. The map puts 64.5% of Jackson County in the area it calls Nashville Basin and 18.1% in Highland Rim, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Basin | Mississippian Limestone. | High | 14 | 64.5% |
| Highland Rim | Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (limestone, shale, chert, and dolostone). | Moderate | 11 | 18.1% |
| Cherty Highland | Cherty dolostone. | High | 12 | 10.3% |
| Eastern Pennyroyal | Marine shale, sandstone and limestone. | High | 12 | 7.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Jackson County beside the ground around it
Jackson County has more high-potential ground than Tennessee as a whole: 81.9% of its land against 47.2%. Of the 5 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Macon County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Jackson County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Jackson County
- Tennessee Radon ProgramTennessee Radon Program, run by Department of Environment & Conservation, offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Tennessee.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
The Tennessee Radon Program provides free radon test kits and information assistance to residents, while also providing training opportunities to radon professionals across the state.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Tennessee1 professional is listed in Tennessee.
What Tennessee's program says
- Phone
- 1-800-232-1139
- TDEC.Radon@tn.gov
What it means
Jackson County, Questions
Questions about radon in Jackson County
Are radon levels high in Jackson County?
In 2023, 50.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson County, Tennessee were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.0 pCi/L. Of 77 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 15 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 33.4%.
Which counties border Jackson County?
Jackson County borders 5 counties: Clay County, Smith County, Putnam County, Overton County and Macon County.
Products
Jackson County, Products
Testing a home in Jackson County
In Jackson County, 45.3% of 53 tests reported to CDC over the 2007 to 2016 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 33.4% pooled across Tennessee. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Jackson 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
Monitor
EcoQube Flex battery digital radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 15 minutes
Short-term kit
PicoCan short-term charcoal canister radon test
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Jackson County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Jackson County
Explore
Jackson County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Jackson County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Smith CountyEPA zone 1
48.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 54 tests · 2.8 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Overton CountyEPA zone 2
44.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 141 tests · 0.6 points below Jackson County
- Radon levels in Putnam CountyEPA zone 2
36.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 309 tests · 8.7 points below Jackson County
- Radon levels in Clay CountyEPA zone 2
30.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 46 tests · 14.9 points below Jackson County
- Radon levels in Macon CountyEPA zone 1
20.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 65 tests · 25.3 points below Jackson County
Jackson County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Jackson County
Jackson County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 12,466 residents on July 1, 2025, up 7.1% from 11,637 in 2020. That works out to 40 people per square mile of land. Gainesboro, its one incorporated place, has 969 residents, 7.8% of the total. CDC's 53 reported tests for 2007 to 2016 work out to 4.3 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Tennessee's 4.0.
Gainesboro is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Jackson County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesboro | 969 | +3.9% | 7.8% |
One incorporated place, 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).
Jackson County, Homes
Homes in Jackson County
Of Jackson County's 5,832 homes, 71% are detached houses, against 68% across Tennessee; 26% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to Tennessee's 1986: 16% date from before 1960 and 20% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 83% of the occupied homes (Tennessee: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Jackson County | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 5,832 | 3,095,472 |
| Detached houses | 71% | 68% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 2% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 26% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 16% | 18% |
| Built since 2000 | 20% | 29% |
| Middle year built | 1987 | 1986 |
| Owner-occupied | 83% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.