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Radon Levels in Berkeley County, West Virginia

EPA puts Berkeley County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 50.7% of the 2,888 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) came back 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    50.7%

    13.2 pts above WV

    Berkeley
    50.7%
    WV
    37.5%

    2,888 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    4.0pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Berkeley
    4.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    2,888

    Most tested in WV

    Berkeley
    2,888

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in WV

    4 of 27

    Top quarter

    Berkeley
    50.7%
    Morgan
    58.1%

    By share, of 27 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Berkeley County

Starts at Berkeley County's median, 4.0 pCi/L

4.0pCi/L

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

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 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. Berkeley County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Berkeley County, At a glance

Berkeley County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Berkeley County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Berkeley County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 29%2 to 4 pCi/L: 20%4 pCi/L and above: 51%

Of 2,888 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Berkeley County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L84229.2%
2 to 4 pCi/L58220.2%
4 pCi/L and above1,46450.7%
What these figures count

These are the 2,888 tests reported to CDC for Berkeley 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

Berkeley County, Compared

Berkeley County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 50.7% of the 2,888 radon tests reported to CDC for Berkeley County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 4th of 27 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 13.2 points above the 37.5% pooled from 55 West Virginia counties.

The median result, 4.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 292.8 pCi/L. The rest split 29.2% under 2 pCi/L and 20.2% from 2 to 4 (West Virginia: 37.7% and 24.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 50.7% share point the same way here.

3 of its 5 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Morgan County at 58.1%; Frederick County, VA reported 44.1%. Statewide for the same period, Morgan County reported the highest share (58.1%) and Grant County the lowest (9.8%).

CDC's ten-year totals for Berkeley County went from 2,514 tests (2005 to 2014) to 2,888 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 51.9% to 50.7%.

Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Berkeley County sits 15.0 points above it. CDC also counts 124 tests taken after mitigation in Berkeley County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Berkeley County against West Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Berkeley County
Berkeley County2,88850.7%4.0 pCi/LThis county
West Virginia, pooled55 counties, pooled10,06137.5%Not pooled−13.2 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled−15.0 points
Greenbrier Countyhighest in the state17652.3%4.5 pCi/L+1.6 points
Grant Countylowest in the state1649.8%1.1 pCi/L−40.9 points
Morgan County, WVborders it24158.1%5.8 pCi/L+7.4 points
Washington County, MDborders it1,25956.0%5.2 pCi/L+5.3 points
Jefferson County, WVborders it89853.2%4.4 pCi/L+2.5 points
Clarke County, VAborders it35047.7%3.5 pCi/L−3.0 points
Frederick County, VAborders it2,45144.1%3.3 pCi/L−6.6 points
Where Berkeley County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside West Virginia and the United States
ResultBerkeley County testsBerkeley County shareWest Virginia shareU.S. shareAgainst West Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L84229.2%37.7%39.6%−8.5 points
2 to 4 pCi/L58220.2%24.7%24.7%−4.5 points
4 pCi/L and above1,46450.7%37.5%35.7%+13.2 points
Berkeley County ranked among the 27 West 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
Morgan County1 of 2724158.1%5.8 pCi/L
Jefferson County2 of 2789853.2%4.4 pCi/L
Greenbrier County3 of 2717652.3%4.5 pCi/L
Berkeley County4 of 272,88850.7%4.0 pCi/L
Hancock County5 of 2732649.1%3.9 pCi/L
Brooke County6 of 2715743.9%3.4 pCi/L
Mineral County7 of 2710742.1%2.8 pCi/L
Ohio County8 of 2785340.3%3.2 pCi/L
Hampshire County9 of 279038.9%2.8 pCi/L
Preston County10 of 2717636.9%2.5 pCi/L
Harrison County11 of 2718736.4%2.6 pCi/L
Berkeley County ten-year laboratory totals, against West Virginia's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestWest Virginia, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20172,88850.7%4.0 pCi/L292.8 pCi/L37.5%+0.2 points
2007 to 20162,75750.5%4.0 pCi/L292.8 pCi/L37.3%−1.6 points
2006 to 20152,70152.1%4.2 pCi/L292.8 pCi/L37.7%+0.2 points
2005 to 20142,51451.9%4.2 pCi/L292.8 pCi/L37.3%First on file

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

Berkeley County, Geology

The ground under Berkeley County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Berkeley County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Northern Appalachian Valley and Ridge, to which USGS gives a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Berkeley County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Northern Appalachian Valley and RidgeSandstone ridges, shale and limestone valleys, mostly DevonianHigh1499.6%

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

Berkeley County beside the ground around it

Berkeley County has more high-potential ground than West Virginia as a whole: 100% of its land against 18.7%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Frederick County, VA comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Berkeley County, the 5 counties bordering it and West Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Berkeley CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Jefferson CountyZone 1None4.3%95.7%
Morgan CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Frederick County, VAZone 1NoneNone100%
Washington County, MDZone 14.4%None95.6%
Clarke County, VAZone 1None16.7%83.3%
West Virginia55 counties, pooled by land areaVaries14.0%67.3%18.7%

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

Local help

Berkeley County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Berkeley County

What West Virginia's program says
Phone
304-352-5039
Email
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

Berkeley County, Questions

Questions about radon in Berkeley County

Are radon levels high in Berkeley County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 50.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Berkeley County, West Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.0 pCi/L. Of 27 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 3 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 37.5%.

Which counties border Berkeley County?

Berkeley County borders 5 counties: Jefferson County, WV, Morgan County, WV, Frederick County, VA, Washington County, MD and Clarke County, VA.

Products

Berkeley County, Products

Testing a home in Berkeley County

In Berkeley County, 50.7% of 2,888 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 37.5% pooled across West Virginia. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Berkeley County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Berkeley County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Berkeley County

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Berkeley County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Berkeley County

Calculated by Radon411

Berkeley County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Berkeley County

Berkeley County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 139,522 residents on July 1, 2025, up 13.7% from 122,693 in 2020. That works out to 434 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Martinsburg, the largest, has 19,211 residents, 13.8% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 14.0% of those residents; the other 86.0% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 2,888 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 20.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 5.7 for West Virginia.

From Martinsburg to Hedgesville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Berkeley County's.

The cities and towns in Berkeley County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Martinsburg19,211+2.5%13.8%
Hedgesville298−0.7%0.2%

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).

Berkeley County, Homes

Homes in Berkeley County

Of Berkeley County's 52,511 homes, 67% are detached houses, against 71% across West Virginia; 11% are mobile homes. Much of Berkeley County is recent building: 41% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1995, against 1976 for West Virginia. Owners live in 75% of the occupied homes (West Virginia: 74%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Berkeley County, West Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesBerkeley CountyWest Virginia
Housing units52,511859,653
Detached houses67%71%
In buildings of 5 or more7%8%
Mobile homes11%14%
Built before 196015%33%
Built since 200041%18%
Middle year built19951976
Owner-occupied75%74%

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