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Radon Levels in Rutherford County, Tennessee

EPA puts Rutherford County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 20.0% of its 50 reported radon tests (2023) were 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    20.0%

    4.9 pts below TN

    Rutherford
    20.0%
    Tennessee
    24.9%

    50 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    1.6pCi/L

    Below action level

    Rutherford
    1.6 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    50

    10th of 15 by tests

    Rutherford
    50
    Hamblen
    594

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Tennessee

    7 of 15

    Middle half

    Rutherford
    20.0%
    Blount
    50.0%

    By share, of 15 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Rutherford County

Starts at Rutherford 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. Rutherford County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this reading

The data

Rutherford County, At a glance

Rutherford County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Rutherford County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

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 Rutherford County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Rutherford County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Rutherford County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
20220.0%
202320.0%

2023: 20.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 20.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 50 tests reported to CDC for Rutherford County over 2023, 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: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Rutherford County, Compared

Rutherford County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Rutherford County's 50 reported tests in 2023 had a middle value of 1.6 pCi/L and a maximum of 17.3 pCi/L, and 20.0% reached 4 pCi/L. Tennessee as a whole (70 Tennessee counties, pooled) comes to 24.9%: 4.9 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 7th of 15 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Blount County reported the highest share (50.0%) and Hamilton County the lowest (2.4%).

Below the action level, 29 tests (58.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 49.4% statewide, and 11 tests (22.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 25.7% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2022, with 132 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 50.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Rutherford County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 2.4% in Wilson County to 27.4% in Davidson County, with Williamson County and Wilson County below Rutherford County.

CDC also counts 14 tests taken after mitigation in Rutherford County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Rutherford County against Tennessee, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Rutherford County
Rutherford County5020.0%1.6 pCi/LThis county
Tennessee, pooled70 counties, pooled2,37824.9%Not pooled+4.9 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled+13.4 points
Blount Countyhighest in the state4650.0%3.9 pCi/L+30.0 points
Hamilton Countylowest in the state1692.4%0.7 pCi/L−17.6 points
Davidson County, TNborders it14627.4%2.2 pCi/L+7.4 points
Williamson County, TNborders it11516.5%1.3 pCi/L−3.5 points
Wilson County, TNborders it822.4%0.9 pCi/L−17.6 points
Coffee County, TNborders it20.0%1.5 pCi/L−20.0 points
Cannon County, TNborders it10.0%1.3 pCi/L−20.0 points
Bedford County, TNborders it20.0%1.4 pCi/L−20.0 points
Marshall County, TNborders it10.0%1.8 pCi/L−20.0 points
Where Rutherford County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Tennessee and the United States
ResultRutherford County testsRutherford County shareTennessee shareU.S. shareAgainst Tennessee
Under 2 pCi/L2958.0%49.4%41.4%+8.6 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1122.0%25.7%25.2%−3.7 points
4 pCi/L and above1020.0%24.9%33.4%−4.9 points
Rutherford County ranked among the 15 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Loudon County2 of 158240.2%3.0 pCi/L
Hamblen County3 of 1559437.0%3.1 pCi/L
Davidson County4 of 1514627.4%2.2 pCi/L
Washington County5 of 154626.1%2.3 pCi/L
Bradley County6 of 1510525.7%2.2 pCi/L
Rutherford County7 of 155020.0%1.6 pCi/L
Sumner County7 of 153020.0%1.4 pCi/L
Cocke County9 of 1534718.4%1.4 pCi/L
Knox County10 of 1520317.7%1.8 pCi/L
Jefferson County11 of 153517.1%2.6 pCi/L
Williamson County12 of 1511516.5%1.3 pCi/L
Rutherford County radon tests by year, against Tennessee's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestTennessee, pooledChange from the row before
20235020.0%1.6 pCi/L17.3 pCi/L24.9%+20.0 points
20221320.0%0.9 pCi/L3.9 pCi/L23.8%First on file

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

Rutherford County, Geology

The ground under Rutherford County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Rutherford County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Nashville Basin, to which USGS gives a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Rutherford County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Nashville BasinMississippian Limestone.High14100%

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

Rutherford County beside the ground around it

Rutherford County has more high-potential ground than Tennessee as a whole: 100% of its land against 47.2%. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Marshall County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Rutherford County, the 7 counties bordering it and Tennessee
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Rutherford CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Cannon CountyZone 2None42.6%57.4%
Wilson CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Bedford CountyZone 1None2.2%97.8%
Williamson CountyZone 1None1.8%98.2%
Davidson CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Coffee CountyZone 2None87.8%12.2%
Marshall CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Tennessee95 counties, pooled by land areaVaries30.5%22.3%47.2%

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

Local help

Rutherford County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Rutherford County

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

What it means

Rutherford County, Questions

Questions about radon in Rutherford County

Are radon levels high in Rutherford County?

In 2023, 20.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Rutherford County, Tennessee were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.6 pCi/L. Of 15 Tennessee counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 6 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.9%.

Which counties border Rutherford County?

Rutherford County borders 7 counties: Cannon County, Wilson County, Bedford County, Williamson County, Davidson County, Coffee County and Marshall County.

Products

Rutherford County, Products

Testing a home in Rutherford County

In Rutherford County, 20.0% of 50 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.9% pooled across Tennessee. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Rutherford 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

Rutherford County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Rutherford County

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Rutherford County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Rutherford County

Calculated by Radon411

Rutherford County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Rutherford County

Rutherford County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 386,352 residents on July 1, 2025, up 12.5% from 343,285 in 2020. That works out to 624 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Murfreesboro, has 171,178 residents, 44.3% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 50 tests over 2023, or 0.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Tennessee as a whole comes to 0.3.

From Murfreesboro to Eagleville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Rutherford County's.

The cities and towns in Rutherford County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Murfreesboro171,178+11.3%44.3%
Smyrnaextends beyond Rutherford County63,321+18.4%Counted whole
La Vergne42,146+8.9%10.9%
Eaglevilleextends beyond Rutherford County964+18.4%Counted 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 Rutherford County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Rutherford County, Homes

Homes in Rutherford County

Of Rutherford County's 135,336 homes, 67% are detached houses, against 68% across Tennessee; 18% are in buildings of five or more homes. Much of Rutherford County is recent building: 49% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 2000, against 1986 for Tennessee. 65% 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 Rutherford County, Tennessee, 2019 to 2023
HomesRutherford CountyTennessee
Housing units135,3363,095,472
Detached houses67%68%
In buildings of 5 or more18%14%
Mobile homes3%8%
Built before 19606%18%
Built since 200049%29%
Middle year built20001986
Owner-occupied65%67%

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