Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Orange County, Vermont
EPA puts Orange County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 26.4% of its 53 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
26.4%
5.8 pts above VT
- Orange
- 26.4%
- Vermont
- 20.6%
53 tests, 2023
Median result
2.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Orange
- 2.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
53
9th of 12 by tests
- Orange
- 53
- Chittenden
- 398
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023
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 Vermont
2 of 12
Top quarter
- Orange
- 26.4%
- Bennington
- 29.5%
By share, of 12 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Orange County
Starts at Orange County's median, 2.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.5 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. Orange County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
Orange County, At a glance
Orange County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Orange County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Orange County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 19.5% |
| 2015 | 28.0% |
| 2016 | 18.5% |
| 2017 | 27.6% |
| 2018 | 28.6% |
| 2019 | 34.8% |
| 2020 | 27.8% |
| 2021 | 29.3% |
| 2022 | 34.0% |
| 2023 | 26.4% |
2023: 26.4%. Across these years the share ran from 18.5% to 34.8%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 53 tests reported to CDC for Orange 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).
Orange County, Compared
Orange County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Orange County's 53 reported tests in 2023 had a middle value of 2.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 22.8 pCi/L, and 26.4% reached 4 pCi/L. Vermont as a whole (14 Vermont counties, pooled) comes to 20.6%: 5.8 points lower than here.
Among its state's counties it ranks 2nd of 12 Vermont counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Bennington County reported the highest share (29.5%) and Chittenden County the lowest (14.6%).
Below the action level, 23 tests (43.4%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 56.8% statewide, and 16 tests (30.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.5% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2022, with 159 tests reported; the quietest, 2015, had 25.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Orange County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 19.3% in Addison County to 26.1% in Washington County, with Washington County, Windsor County and Caledonia County below Orange County. Over 8 years of annual figures the share rose 6.9 points, from 19.5% in 2014 to 26.4% in 2023; its peak was 34.8% in 2019.
CDC also counts 7 tests taken after mitigation in Orange County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Orange CountyVermont, pooled
| Year | Tests | Orange County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Vermont, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41 | 19.5% | 18.3% |
| 2017 | 87 | 27.6% | 16.4% |
| 2018 | 49 | 28.6% | 15.8% |
| 2019 | 46 | 34.8% | 14.3% |
| 2020 | 108 | 27.8% | 16.5% |
| 2021 | 75 | 29.3% | 19.2% |
| 2022 | 159 | 34.0% | 19.4% |
| 2023 | 53 | 26.4% | 20.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Orange County, Geology
The ground under Orange County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Orange County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. 98.5% of it lies in the area the map calls Vermont Piedmont, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont Piedmont | Paleozoic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks that are intruded by igneous plutonic rocks. | Moderate | 11 | 98.5% |
| Vermont Piedmont | Granite and granitic gneiss of the New Hampshire plutonic series. | Moderate | 11 | 1.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Orange County beside the ground around it
Orange County has more moderate-potential ground than Vermont as a whole: 100% of its land against 87.8%. Of the 5 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Grafton County, NH the most at 17.7%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Orange County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Orange County
- Radon ProgramRadon Program, run by Vermont Department of Health, offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Vermont.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Join the Department of Health Lab's study on radon in water to receive free test kits for your well or spring.
- Compare kits
- See the Vermont directoryNo professionals are listed in Vermont yet. The state program can point you to registered testers and mitigators.
What Vermont's program says
- Phone
- 802-863-7220
What it means
Orange County, Questions
Questions about radon in Orange County
Are radon levels high in Orange County?
In 2023, 26.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Orange County, Vermont were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.5 pCi/L. Of 12 Vermont counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 20.6%.
Which counties border Orange County?
Orange County borders 5 counties: Washington County, VT, Windsor County, VT, Addison County, VT, Grafton County, NH and Caledonia County, VT.
Products
Orange County, Products
Testing a home in Orange County
In Orange County, 26.4% of 53 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 20.6% pooled across Vermont. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Orange 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011 rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Orange County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Orange County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Washington County, VTEPA zone 2
26.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 199 tests · 0.3 points below Orange County
- Radon levels in Windsor County, VTEPA zone 2
22.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 67 tests · 4.0 points below Orange County
- Radon levels in Caledonia County, VTEPA zone 2
21.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 76 tests · 5.3 points below Orange County
- Radon levels in Addison County, VTEPA zone 2
19.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.7 pCi/L · 83 tests · 7.1 points below Orange County
- Radon levels in Grafton County, NHEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Orange County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Orange County
The Census Bureau estimates 30,002 residents in Orange County for July 1, 2025, 706 more than in 2020 (+2.4%). That works out to 44 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Newbury, the largest, has 459 residents, 1.5% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 3.0% of those residents; the other 97.0% live outside any of them. CDC's 53 reported tests for 2023 work out to 1.8 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Vermont's 2.0.
From Newbury to Wells River, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Orange County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newbury | 459 | +3.8% | 1.5% |
| Wells River | 449 | +2.7% | 1.5% |
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).
Orange County, Homes
Homes in Orange County
Orange County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 15,021 homes are detached single-family houses, against 67% across Vermont. Half of its homes were built before 1977, close to Vermont's 1976: 33% date from before 1960 and 19% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (Vermont: 73%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Orange County | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 15,021 | 337,072 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 67% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 11% |
| Mobile homes | 9% | 6% |
| Built before 1960 | 33% | 33% |
| Built since 2000 | 19% | 17% |
| Middle year built | 1977 | 1976 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 73% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.