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 Amherst County, Virginia
EPA puts Amherst County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 36.8% of its 247 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) 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
36.8%
6.4 pts above VA
- Amherst
- 36.8%
- Virginia
- 30.4%
247 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Amherst
- 2.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
247
41st of 84 by tests
- Amherst
- 247
- Fairfax
- 8,657
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 Virginia
38 of 84
Middle half
- Amherst
- 36.8%
- Russell
- 67.3%
By share, of 84 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Amherst County
Starts at Amherst County's median, 2.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.9 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. Amherst County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Amherst County, At a glance
Amherst County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Amherst County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 83% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Amherst County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 39%2 to 4 pCi/L: 24%4 pCi/L and above: 37%
Of 247 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 97 | 39.3% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 59 | 23.9% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 91 | 36.8% |
What these figures count
These are the 247 tests reported to CDC for Amherst 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).
Amherst County, Compared
Amherst County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Amherst County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (91 of 247) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.1 points higher. Across 131 Virginia counties pooled together, 30.4% of tests reached that level, so Amherst County runs 6.4 points above its state.
Of 6 neighbours with a figure, 2 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 10.0% (Appomattox County) to 50.9% (Rockbridge County). By share, Amherst County is 38th of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 2.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 31.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 97 tests (39.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 59 tests (23.9%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 36.8% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 83% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 11 tests taken after mitigation in Amherst County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
CDC's ten-year totals for Amherst County went from 164 tests (2005 to 2014) to 247 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 32.9% to 36.8%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Amherst County, Geology
The ground under Amherst County
PredictedMost of the ground under Amherst County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 82.8% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 17.2% high. The map puts 82.8% of Amherst County in the area it calls Blue Ridge and 16.1% in Inner Piedmont, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 12, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge | Granite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss. | Moderate | 10 | 82.8% |
| Inner Piedmont | Granite, pegmatites, granitic gneiss, schist and gneiss, slate, and phyllite. | High | 12 | 16.1% |
| Valley and Ridge | Cambrian dolomite, limestone, shale, and sandstone, Silurian-Ordovician limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone, Mississippian-Devonian sandstone, shale, limestone, gypsum, and coal. | High | 15 | 1.1% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Amherst County beside the ground around it
Virginia as a whole has more high-potential ground than Amherst County: 47.9% of its land, against 17.2% here. Of the 6 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Rockbridge County the most at 93.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Amherst County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Amherst County
- VDH Radon ProgramVDH Radon Program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in Virginia.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Virginia2 professionals are listed in Virginia.
What Virginia's program says
- Phone
- (804) 864-8161
- Radon@vdh.virginia.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
The Code of Virginia requires that Radon testers and mitigators be currently certified by either the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) or the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB).
What it means
Amherst County, Questions
Questions about radon in Amherst County
Are radon levels high in Amherst County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 36.8% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Amherst County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.9 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 37 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.
Which counties border Amherst County?
Amherst County borders 6 counties: Lynchburg city, Nelson County, Rockbridge County, Campbell County, Appomattox County and Bedford County.
Products
Amherst County, Products
Testing a home in Amherst County
In Amherst County, 36.8% of 247 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.4% pooled across Virginia. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Amherst 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
Amherst County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Amherst County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Rockbridge CountyEPA zone 1
50.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 114 tests · 14.1 points above Amherst County
- Radon levels in Campbell CountyEPA zone 1
39.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 365 tests · 2.9 points above Amherst County
- Radon levels in Nelson CountyEPA zone 2
28.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 122 tests · 8.1 points below Amherst County
- Radon levels in Lynchburg cityEPA zone 2
25.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 753 tests · 10.9 points below Amherst County
- Radon levels in Bedford CountyEPA zone 2
23.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 749 tests · 13.3 points below Amherst County
- Radon levels in Appomattox CountyEPA zone 1
10.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 50 tests · 26.8 points below Amherst County
Amherst County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Amherst County
The Census Bureau estimates 31,962 residents in Amherst County for July 1, 2025, 650 more than in 2020 (+2.1%). That works out to 67 people per square mile of land. Amherst, its one incorporated place, has 2,146 residents, 6.7% of the total. CDC's 247 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 7.7 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Virginia's 6.0.
Amherst is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Amherst County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 2,146 | +1.7% | 6.7% |
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).
Amherst County, Homes
Homes in Amherst County
Amherst County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 14,301 homes are detached single-family houses, against 61% across Virginia. Half of its homes were built before 1977, close to Virginia's 1984: 23% date from before 1960 and 17% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (Virginia: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Amherst County | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 14,301 | 3,654,784 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 61% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 2% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 12% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 23% | 19% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 25% |
| Middle year built | 1977 | 1984 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.