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 Barbour County, West Virginia
EPA puts Barbour County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 12 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Highest bordering
36.9%
Preston County
- Preston
- 36.9%
- Taylor
- 28.1%
4 of 6 neighbours have 30+ tests, 2008 to 2017
Nearest county
28.1%
Taylor County, 14 miles
- Taylor
- 28.1%
- WV
- 37.5%
Share at 4+ pCi/L, 32 tests, 2008 to 2017
Ground above low
100.0%
14.0 pts above WV
- Barbour
- 100.0%
- WV
- 86.0%
Share of land USGS rates moderate or high potential
Tests reported
12
Too few for a share
- Barbour
- 12
- Needed
- 30
2008 to 2017, laboratory
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Read a result for Barbour County
Starts at EPA's action level
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.0 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher.
The data
Barbour County, At a glance
Barbour County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Barbour 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 Barbour County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CDC holds 12 reported tests for Barbour County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, with a median of 2.0 pCi/L: too few to describe a county (Radon411 reads a share from 30 tests up). Barbour County beside the counties around it is how this page reads it.
What these figures count
Only 12 tests were reported to CDC for Barbour County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Barbour County, Compared
Barbour County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411CDC's largest figure for Barbour County rests on 12 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 3 of them at or above 4 pCi/L, so each test moves its share by 8.3 points and no rank or comparison is drawn from it. Results reached as high as 13.8 pCi/L, with a middle value of 2.0 pCi/L.
Of the counties bordering it, 4 have a figure over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals: Preston County reported the largest share at or above 4 pCi/L, 36.9%, and Taylor County the smallest, 28.1%, with Randolph County at 36.4% and Harrison County at 36.4% between. Farther out, Marion County (29 miles away) at 29.1%, Monongalia County (34 miles away) at 19.0% and Grant County (43 miles away) at 9.8% have figures too. Pooled across 55 West Virginia counties, 37.5% of reported tests reached that level; across every county in the country with a figure, 35.7%.
Statewide for the same period, Morgan County reported the highest share (58.1%) and Grant County the lowest (9.8%). EPA's 1993 map puts Barbour County in Zone 2, its middle label: a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Barbour County, Geology
The ground under Barbour County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Barbour County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 70.6% of Barbour County in the area it calls Central Allegheny Plateau and 29.4% in Eastern Allegheny Plateau and Mtns. USGS gives both a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Allegheny Plateau | Permian and Pennsylvanian shale, siltstone, sandstone, minor limestone. | Moderate | 10 | 70.6% |
| Eastern Allegheny Plateau and Mtns | Devonian-Pennsylvanian shale, siltstone, sandstone, minor limestone and coal | Moderate | 10 | 29.4% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Barbour County beside the ground around it
Across West Virginia 18.7% of the land is rated high; none of Barbour County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Randolph County the most at 2.9%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Barbour County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Barbour County
- OEHS Radon ProgramOEHS Radon Program, run by WV DHHR OEHS Radiation, Toxics & Indoor Air Division, licenses or certifies radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in West Virginia.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
West Virginia residents can request a free Radon Test Kit by emailing Radon@wv.gov or calling 304-352-5039
- Compare kits
- Professionals in West Virginia35 professionals are listed in West Virginia.
What West Virginia's program says
- Phone
- 304-352-5039
- Radon@wv.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
Complete listings of professionals licensed to perform Asbestos, Lead, Radon and Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation activities in West Virginia.
What it means
Barbour County, Questions
Questions about radon in Barbour County
Are radon levels high in Barbour County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 25.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Barbour County, West Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.0 pCi/L. Of the counties bordering it, 4 have a figure over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals: Preston County reported the largest share at or above 4 pCi/L, 36.9%, and Taylor County the smallest, 28.1%, with Randolph County at 36.4% and Harrison County at 36.4% between.
Which counties border Barbour County?
Barbour County borders 6 counties: Taylor County, Upshur County, Harrison County, Tucker County, Randolph County and Preston County.
Products
Barbour County, Products
Testing a home in Barbour County
No CDC figure names Barbour County; the nearest county with one, Taylor County (14 miles away), reported 28.1% of its tests at or above 4 pCi/L over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, the only reading nearby until a test of this home. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Barbour 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
Barbour County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Barbour County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Preston CountyEPA zone 1
36.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 176 tests
- Radon levels in Harrison CountyEPA zone 2
36.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 187 tests
- Radon levels in Randolph CountyEPA zone 2
36.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.5 pCi/L · 33 tests
- Radon levels in Taylor CountyEPA zone 2
28.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 32 tests
- Radon levels in Tucker CountyEPA zone 2
27.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 18 tests
- Radon levels in Upshur CountyEPA zone 2
20.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 29 tests
Barbour County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Barbour County
Barbour County's population has barely moved since 2020: 15,414 residents on July 1, 2025 against 15,463 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 45 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Philippi, the largest, has 2,846 residents, 18.5% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 32.7% of those residents; the other 67.3% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 12 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.8 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where West Virginia as a whole comes to 5.7.
From Philippi to Junior, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Barbour County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippi | 2,846 | −0.9% | 18.5% |
| Belington | 1,809 | −0.1% | 11.7% |
| Junior | 380 | −1.6% | 2.5% |
3 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).
Barbour County, Homes
Homes in Barbour County
Of Barbour County's 7,131 homes, 74% are detached houses, against 71% across West Virginia; 18% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1975, close to West Virginia's 1976: 37% date from before 1960 and 17% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (West Virginia: 74%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Barbour County | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 7,131 | 859,653 |
| Detached houses | 74% | 71% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 8% |
| Mobile homes | 18% | 14% |
| Built before 1960 | 37% | 33% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 18% |
| Middle year built | 1975 | 1976 |
| Owner-occupied | 79% | 74% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.