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Radon Levels in Franklin County, Virginia

EPA puts Franklin County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 21.2% of its 572 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    21.2%

    9.2 pts below VA

    Franklin
    21.2%
    Virginia
    30.4%

    572 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.0pCi/L

    Below action level

    Franklin
    2.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    572

    24th of 84 by tests

    Franklin
    572
    Fairfax
    8,657

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • 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 Virginia

    69 of 84

    Lowest quarter

    Franklin
    21.2%
    Russell
    67.3%

    By share, of 84 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Franklin County

Starts at Franklin County's median, 2.0 pCi/L

2.0pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.0 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 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 between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Franklin County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Franklin County, At a glance

Franklin County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Franklin 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: Moderate across 77% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Franklin County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Franklin County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 50%2 to 4 pCi/L: 29%4 pCi/L and above: 21%

Of 572 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Franklin County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L28549.8%
2 to 4 pCi/L16629.0%
4 pCi/L and above12121.2%
What these figures count

These are the 572 tests reported to CDC for Franklin 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).

How to read these figures

Franklin County, Compared

Franklin County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Franklin County's 572 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.0 pCi/L and a maximum of 18.1 pCi/L, and 21.2% reached 4 pCi/L. Virginia as a whole (131 Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 30.4%: 9.2 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 69th of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Russell County reported the highest share (67.3%) and Norfolk city the lowest (2.7%).

Below the action level, 285 tests (49.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 166 tests (29.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Franklin County went from 475 tests (2005 to 2014) to 572 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 22.5% to 21.2%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Franklin County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 77% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 22.1% in Roanoke County to 54.7% in Patrick County.

CDC also counts 43 tests taken after mitigation in Franklin County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Franklin County against Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Franklin County
Franklin County57221.2%2.0 pCi/LThis county
Virginia, pooled131 counties, pooled53,19930.4%Not pooled+9.2 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+14.5 points
Russell Countyhighest in the state4967.3%6.7 pCi/L+46.1 points
Norfolk citylowest in the state732.7%0.5 pCi/L−18.5 points
Patrick County, VAborders it5354.7%5.3 pCi/L+33.5 points
Floyd County, VAborders it5442.6%3.3 pCi/L+21.4 points
Pittsylvania County, VAborders it24238.4%3.0 pCi/L+17.2 points
Henry County, VAborders it11535.7%2.7 pCi/L+14.5 points
Bedford County, VAborders it74923.5%2.1 pCi/L+2.3 points
Roanoke County, VAborders it1,54122.1%1.9 pCi/L+0.9 points
Where Franklin County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Virginia and the United States
ResultFranklin County testsFranklin County shareVirginia shareU.S. shareAgainst Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L28549.8%44.7%39.6%+5.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L16629.0%24.9%24.7%+4.1 points
4 pCi/L and above12121.2%30.4%35.7%−9.2 points
Franklin County ranked among the 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Lynchburg city64 of 8475325.9%2.2 pCi/L
Albemarle County65 of 842,17924.7%2.1 pCi/L
Bedford County66 of 8474923.5%2.1 pCi/L
Hanover County67 of 8416523.0%1.9 pCi/L
Roanoke County68 of 841,54122.1%1.9 pCi/L
Franklin County69 of 8457221.2%2.0 pCi/L
Charlottesville city70 of 8483421.0%1.8 pCi/L
Halifax County71 of 843718.9%2.2 pCi/L
Lexington city72 of 843218.8%1.6 pCi/L
Fairfax County73 of 848,65718.7%1.5 pCi/L
Falls Church city74 of 848318.1%1.5 pCi/L
Franklin County ten-year laboratory totals, against Virginia's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestVirginia, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201757221.2%2.0 pCi/L18.1 pCi/L30.4%+0.4 points
2007 to 201657120.8%1.9 pCi/L18.1 pCi/L30.6%−1.1 points
2006 to 201552121.9%1.9 pCi/L18.1 pCi/L30.7%−0.6 points
2005 to 201447522.5%2.0 pCi/L18.1 pCi/L30.3%First on file

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

Franklin County, Geology

The ground under Franklin County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Franklin County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 77.0% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 23.0% high. The map puts 77.0% of Franklin County in the area it calls Blue Ridge and 23.0% in Inner Piedmont. 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).

USGS's geologic areas under Franklin County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1077.0%
Inner PiedmontGranite, pegmatites, granitic gneiss, schist and gneiss, slate, and phyllite.High1223.0%

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

Franklin County beside the ground around it

Virginia as a whole has more high-potential ground than Franklin County: 47.9% of its land, against 23.0% here. Of the 6 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Henry County the most at 97.9%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Franklin County, the 6 counties bordering it and Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Franklin CountyZone 2None77.0%23.0%
Henry CountyZone 1None2.1%97.9%
Roanoke CountyZone 1None34.6%65.4%
Bedford CountyZone 2None84.9%15.1%
Pittsylvania CountyZone 1None47.7%52.3%
Floyd CountyZone 2None100%None
Patrick CountyZone 1None55.7%44.3%
Virginia133 counties, pooled by land areaVaries20.6%30.0%47.9%

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

Local help

Franklin County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Franklin County

What Virginia's program says
Phone
(804) 864-8161
Email
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

Franklin County, Questions

Questions about radon in Franklin County

Are radon levels high in Franklin County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 21.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Franklin County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 68 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.

Which counties border Franklin County?

Franklin County borders 6 counties: Henry County, Roanoke County, Bedford County, Pittsylvania County, Floyd County and Patrick County.

Products

Franklin County, Products

Testing a home in Franklin County

In Franklin County, 21.2% of 572 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 Franklin County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Franklin County homes, compared

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Franklin County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Franklin County

Calculated by Radon411

Franklin County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Franklin County

The Census Bureau estimates 55,526 residents in Franklin County for July 1, 2025, 1,048 more than in 2020 (+1.9%). That works out to 80 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Rocky Mount, the largest, has 4,973 residents, 9.0% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 9.4% of those residents; the other 90.6% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 572 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 10.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.0 for Virginia.

From Rocky Mount to Boones Mill, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Franklin County's.

The cities and towns in Franklin County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Rocky Mount4,973+1.4%9.0%
Boones Mill258+0.8%0.5%

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).

Franklin County, Homes

Homes in Franklin County

Of Franklin County's 28,344 homes, 74% are detached houses, against 61% across Virginia; 17% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to Virginia's 1984: 14% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (Virginia: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Franklin County, Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesFranklin CountyVirginia
Housing units28,3443,654,784
Detached houses74%61%
In buildings of 5 or more5%19%
Mobile homes17%4%
Built before 196014%19%
Built since 200026%25%
Middle year built19871984
Owner-occupied80%67%

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