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Radon Levels in Nelson County, Virginia

EPA puts Nelson County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 28.7% of its 122 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

    28.7%

    1.7 pts below VA

    Nelson
    28.7%
    Virginia
    30.4%

    122 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.6pCi/L

    Below action level

    Nelson
    2.6 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    122

    54th of 84 by tests

    Nelson
    122
    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

    54 of 84

    Middle half

    Nelson
    28.7%
    Russell
    67.3%

    By share, of 84 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Nelson County

Starts at Nelson County's median, 2.6 pCi/L

2.6pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 2.6 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. Nelson County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Nelson County, At a glance

Nelson County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Nelson 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 78% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Nelson County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 36%2 to 4 pCi/L: 35%4 pCi/L and above: 29%

Of 122 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Nelson County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L4436.1%
2 to 4 pCi/L4335.2%
4 pCi/L and above3528.7%
What these figures count

These are the 122 tests reported to CDC for Nelson 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

Nelson County, Compared

Nelson County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Nelson County's 122 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.6 pCi/L and a maximum of 81.3 pCi/L, and 28.7% reached 4 pCi/L. Virginia as a whole (131 Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 30.4%: 1.7 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 54th 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, 44 tests (36.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 43 tests (35.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Nelson County went from 88 tests (2005 to 2014) to 122 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 30.7% to 28.7%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Nelson County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 78% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 10.0% in Appomattox County to 50.9% in Rockbridge County, with Albemarle County and Appomattox County below Nelson County.

Nelson County against Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Nelson County
Nelson County12228.7%2.6 pCi/LThis county
Virginia, pooled131 counties, pooled53,19930.4%Not pooled+1.7 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+7.0 points
Russell Countyhighest in the state4967.3%6.7 pCi/L+38.6 points
Norfolk citylowest in the state732.7%0.5 pCi/L−26.0 points
Rockbridge County, VAborders it11450.9%4.0 pCi/L+22.2 points
Augusta County, VAborders it62550.1%4.0 pCi/L+21.4 points
Amherst County, VAborders it24736.8%2.9 pCi/L+8.1 points
Albemarle County, VAborders it2,17924.7%2.1 pCi/L−4.0 points
Buckingham County, VAborders it2913.8%1.5 pCi/L−14.9 points
Appomattox County, VAborders it5010.0%2.1 pCi/L−18.7 points
Where Nelson County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Virginia and the United States
ResultNelson County testsNelson County shareVirginia shareU.S. shareAgainst Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L4436.1%44.7%39.6%−8.6 points
2 to 4 pCi/L4335.2%24.9%24.7%+10.3 points
4 pCi/L and above3528.7%30.4%35.7%−1.7 points
Nelson 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
Prince William County49 of 844,44131.7%2.3 pCi/L
Stafford County50 of 842,75831.4%2.5 pCi/L
Goochland County51 of 8411430.7%2.4 pCi/L
Fauquier County52 of 841,19930.2%2.5 pCi/L
Chesterfield County53 of 8473329.6%2.2 pCi/L
Nelson County54 of 8412228.7%2.6 pCi/L
Wise County55 of 845328.3%1.3 pCi/L
Fluvanna County56 of 8438828.1%2.5 pCi/L
Powhatan County57 of 845028.0%1.7 pCi/L
Richmond city58 of 8452027.7%2.1 pCi/L
Loudoun County59 of 844,45727.4%1.8 pCi/L
Nelson County ten-year laboratory totals, against Virginia's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestVirginia, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201712228.7%2.6 pCi/L81.3 pCi/L30.4%−2.1 points
2007 to 201610430.8%2.6 pCi/L39.0 pCi/L30.6%+1.0 points
2006 to 20159429.8%2.6 pCi/L17.8 pCi/L30.7%−0.9 points
2005 to 20148830.7%2.8 pCi/L17.8 pCi/L30.3%First on file

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

Nelson County, Geology

The ground under Nelson County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Nelson County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 77.8% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 22.2% high. The map puts 76.1% of Nelson County in the area it calls Blue Ridge and 21.6% in Inner Piedmont, with 2 smaller areas 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).

USGS's geologic areas under Nelson County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1076.1%
Inner PiedmontGranite, pegmatites, granitic gneiss, schist and gneiss, slate, and phyllite.High1221.6%
Mesozoic BasinsSandstone, siltstone and lacustrine black shale.Moderate111.7%
Valley and RidgeCambrian dolomite, limestone, shale, and sandstone, Silurian-Ordovician limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone, Mississippian-Devonian sandstone, shale, limestone, gypsum, and coal.High150.7%

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

Nelson County beside the ground around it

Virginia as a whole has more high-potential ground than Nelson County: 47.9% of its land, against 22.2% here. Of the 6 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Augusta County the most at 95.1%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Nelson County, the 6 counties bordering it and Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Nelson CountyZone 2None77.8%22.2%
Albemarle CountyZone 2None71.1%28.9%
Amherst CountyZone 2None82.8%17.2%
Buckingham CountyZone 1None31.4%68.6%
Rockbridge CountyZone 1None6.2%93.8%
Appomattox CountyZone 1None48.9%51.1%
Augusta CountyZone 1None4.9%95.1%
Virginia133 counties, pooled by land areaVaries20.6%30.0%47.9%

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

Local help

Nelson County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Nelson 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

Nelson County, Questions

Questions about radon in Nelson County

Are radon levels high in Nelson County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 28.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Nelson County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.6 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 53 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.

Which counties border Nelson County?

Nelson County borders 6 counties: Albemarle County, Amherst County, Buckingham County, Rockbridge County, Appomattox County and Augusta County.

Products

Nelson County, Products

Testing a home in Nelson County

In Nelson County, 28.7% of 122 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 Nelson County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Nelson County homes, compared

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Nelson County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Nelson County

Calculated by Radon411

Nelson County, Residents

Who lives in Nelson County

The Census Bureau estimates 14,920 residents in Nelson County for July 1, 2025, 183 more than in 2020 (+1.2%). That works out to 32 people per square mile of land. CDC's 122 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 8.2 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Virginia's 6.0.

Census lists no incorporated place in Nelson County: every home in it reads the county's figures.

Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Nelson County, Homes

Homes in Nelson County

Nelson County is a place of houses on their own lots: 78% of its 9,947 homes are detached single-family houses, against 61% across Virginia. Half of its homes were built before 1987, close to Virginia's 1984: 18% date from before 1960 and 25% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (Virginia: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Nelson County, Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesNelson CountyVirginia
Housing units9,9473,654,784
Detached houses78%61%
In buildings of 5 or more10%19%
Mobile homes10%4%
Built before 196018%19%
Built since 200025%25%
Middle year built19871984
Owner-occupied79%67%

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