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Radon Levels in Wise County, Virginia

EPA puts Wise County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 28.3% of its 53 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

    28.3%

    2.1 pts below VA

    Wise
    28.3%
    Virginia
    30.4%

    53 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.3pCi/L

    Below action level

    Wise
    1.3 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    53

    71st of 84 by tests

    Wise
    53
    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

    55 of 84

    Middle half

    Wise
    28.3%
    Russell
    67.3%

    By share, of 84 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Wise County

Starts at Wise County's median, 1.3 pCi/L

1.3pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.3 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. Wise County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Wise County, At a glance

Wise County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Wise 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 89% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Wise County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 59%2 to 4 pCi/L: 13%4 pCi/L and above: 28%

Of 53 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Wise County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L3158.5%
2 to 4 pCi/L713.2%
4 pCi/L and above1528.3%
What these figures count

These are the 53 tests reported to CDC for Wise 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

Wise County, Compared

Wise County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Wise County's 53 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.3 pCi/L and a maximum of 27.6 pCi/L, and 28.3% reached 4 pCi/L. Virginia as a whole (131 Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 30.4%: 2.1 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 55th 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, 31 tests (58.5%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 7 tests (13.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Wise County went from 46 tests (2005 to 2014) to 53 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 19.6% to 28.3%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Wise County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 89% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 17.1% in Pike County, KY to 67.3% in Russell County, with Pike County, KY below Wise County.

Wise County against Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Wise County
Wise County5328.3%1.3 pCi/LThis county
Virginia, pooled131 counties, pooled53,19930.4%Not pooled+2.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+7.4 points
Wythe Countyhighest in the state11965.5%6.0 pCi/L+37.2 points
Norfolk citylowest in the state732.7%0.5 pCi/L−25.6 points
Russell County, VAborders it4967.3%6.7 pCi/L+39.0 points
Scott County, VAborders it7550.7%4.0 pCi/L+22.4 points
Lee County, VAborders it1450.0%4.9 pCi/L+21.7 points
Dickenson County, VAborders it1040.0%3.4 pCi/L+11.7 points
Letcher County, KYborders it2231.8%1.8 pCi/L+3.5 points
Harlan County, KYborders it425.0%0.1 pCi/L−3.3 points
Pike County, KYborders it8217.1%1.1 pCi/L−11.2 points
Norton city, VAborders it50.0%1.0 pCi/L−28.3 points
Where Wise County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Virginia and the United States
ResultWise County testsWise County shareVirginia shareU.S. shareAgainst Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L3158.5%44.7%39.6%+13.8 points
2 to 4 pCi/L713.2%24.9%24.7%−11.7 points
4 pCi/L and above1528.3%30.4%35.7%−2.1 points
Wise 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
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
Martinsville city60 of 843327.3%1.8 pCi/L
Wise County ten-year laboratory totals, against Virginia's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestVirginia, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20175328.3%1.3 pCi/L27.6 pCi/L30.4%+3.8 points
2007 to 20164924.5%1.0 pCi/L21.2 pCi/L30.6%+4.1 points
2006 to 20154920.4%0.9 pCi/L21.1 pCi/L30.7%+0.8 points
2005 to 20144619.6%0.9 pCi/L21.1 pCi/L30.3%First on file

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

Wise County, Geology

The ground under Wise County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Wise County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 89.4% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 10.6% high. The map puts 89.0% of Wise County in the area it calls Appalachian Plateau and 10.6% in Valley and Ridge. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 15, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Wise County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Appalachian PlateauPennsylvanian sandstone, shale, and coal.Moderate1089.0%
Valley and RidgeCambrian dolomite, limestone, shale, and sandstone, Silurian-Ordovician limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone, Mississippian-Devonian sandstone, shale, limestone, gypsum, and coal.High1510.6%

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

Wise County beside the ground around it

Virginia as a whole has more high-potential ground than Wise County: 47.9% of its land, against 10.6% here. Of the 8 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Scott County the most at 94.1%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Wise County, the 8 counties bordering it and Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Wise CountyZone 2None89.4%10.6%
Norton cityZone 2None100%None
Letcher County, KYZone 2None100%None
Scott CountyZone 1None5.9%94.1%
Dickenson CountyZone 2None100%None
Lee CountyZone 1None8.8%91.2%
Russell CountyZone 1None15.6%84.4%
Pike County, KYZone 20.1%99.9%None
Harlan County, KYZone 2None93.1%6.9%
Virginia133 counties, pooled by land areaVaries20.6%30.0%47.9%

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

Local help

Wise County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Wise 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

Wise County, Questions

Questions about radon in Wise County

Are radon levels high in Wise County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 28.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Wise County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.3 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 54 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.

Which counties border Wise County?

Wise County borders 8 counties: Norton city, VA, Letcher County, KY, Scott County, VA, Dickenson County, VA, Lee County, VA, Russell County, VA, Pike County, KY and Harlan County, KY.

Products

Wise County, Products

Testing a home in Wise County

In Wise County, 28.3% of 53 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 Wise County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Wise County homes, compared

Explore

Wise County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Wise County

Calculated by Radon411

Wise County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Wise County

About 34,824 people live in Wise County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 1,248 fewer than in 2020 (−3.5%). That works out to 86 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Big Stone Gap, the largest, has 5,102 residents, 14.7% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 53 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 1.5 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Virginia as a whole comes to 6.0.

From Big Stone Gap to St. Paul, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Wise County's.

The cities and towns in Wise County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Big Stone Gap5,102−3.2%14.7%
Wise2,853−3.9%8.2%
Coeburn1,535−3.9%4.4%
Appalachia1,369−4.7%3.9%
Pound836−4.2%2.4%
St. Paulextends beyond Wise County831−3.9%Counted whole

6 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 Wise County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Wise County, Homes

Homes in Wise County

Of Wise County's 16,659 homes, 65% are detached houses, against 61% across Virginia; 27% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1979, close to Virginia's 1984: 25% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. 74% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Virginia: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Wise County, Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesWise CountyVirginia
Housing units16,6593,654,784
Detached houses65%61%
In buildings of 5 or more4%19%
Mobile homes27%4%
Built before 196025%19%
Built since 200018%25%
Middle year built19791984
Owner-occupied74%67%

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