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Radon Levels in Putnam County, West Virginia

EPA puts Putnam County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 23.1% of its 52 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

    23.1%

    14.4 pts below WV

    Putnam
    23.1%
    WV
    37.5%

    52 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.5pCi/L

    Below action level

    Putnam
    1.5 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    52

    23rd of 27 by tests

    Putnam
    52
    Berkeley
    2,888

    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 WV

    19 of 27

    Middle half

    Putnam
    23.1%
    Morgan
    58.1%

    By share, of 27 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Putnam County

Starts at Putnam County's median, 1.5 pCi/L

1.5pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.5 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. Putnam County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Putnam County, At a glance

Putnam County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Putnam 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 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Putnam County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 54%2 to 4 pCi/L: 23%4 pCi/L and above: 23%

Of 52 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Putnam County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L2853.8%
2 to 4 pCi/L1223.1%
4 pCi/L and above1223.1%
What these figures count

These are the 52 tests reported to CDC for Putnam 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

Putnam County, Compared

Putnam County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Putnam County's 52 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 17.3 pCi/L, and 23.1% reached 4 pCi/L. West Virginia as a whole (55 West Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 37.5%: 14.4 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 19th of 27 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Morgan County reported the highest share (58.1%) and Grant County the lowest (9.8%).

Below the action level, 28 tests (53.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 37.7% statewide, and 12 tests (23.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.7% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Putnam County went from 47 tests (2005 to 2014) to 52 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 25.5% to 23.1%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Putnam County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 16.6% in Cabell County to 20.6% in Kanawha County, with Kanawha County and Cabell County below Putnam County.

Putnam County against West Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Putnam County
Putnam County5223.1%1.5 pCi/LThis county
West Virginia, pooled55 counties, pooled10,06137.5%Not pooled+14.4 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+12.6 points
Morgan Countyhighest in the state24158.1%5.8 pCi/L+35.0 points
Grant Countylowest in the state1649.8%1.1 pCi/L−13.3 points
Jackson County, WVborders it2425.0%2.5 pCi/L+1.9 points
Mason County, WVborders it1323.1%2.4 pCi/LLevel
Kanawha County, WVborders it24720.6%2.2 pCi/L−2.5 points
Lincoln County, WVborders it1118.2%1.9 pCi/L−4.9 points
Cabell County, WVborders it14516.6%2.0 pCi/L−6.5 points
Where Putnam County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside West Virginia and the United States
ResultPutnam County testsPutnam County shareWest Virginia shareU.S. shareAgainst West Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L2853.8%37.7%39.6%+16.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1223.1%24.7%24.7%−1.6 points
4 pCi/L and above1223.1%37.5%35.7%−14.4 points
Putnam 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
Mercer County14 of 2710133.7%2.1 pCi/L
Marshall County15 of 2725431.9%2.5 pCi/L
Pendleton County16 of 275530.9%2.5 pCi/L
Marion County17 of 2724429.1%2.6 pCi/L
Taylor County18 of 273228.1%2.2 pCi/L
Putnam County19 of 275223.1%1.5 pCi/L
Tyler County20 of 273522.9%1.8 pCi/L
Hardy County21 of 275322.6%1.6 pCi/L
Kanawha County22 of 2724720.6%2.2 pCi/L
Monongalia County23 of 271,17619.0%1.9 pCi/L
Raleigh County24 of 274216.7%1.4 pCi/L
Putnam 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 20175223.1%1.5 pCi/L17.3 pCi/L37.5%−3.4 points
2007 to 20164926.5%1.6 pCi/L17.3 pCi/L37.3%−0.6 points
2006 to 20154827.1%1.5 pCi/L17.3 pCi/L37.7%+1.6 points
2005 to 20144725.5%1.5 pCi/L17.3 pCi/L37.3%First on file

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

Putnam County, Geology

The ground under Putnam County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Putnam County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Central Allegheny Plateau, to which USGS gives a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Putnam County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Central Allegheny PlateauPermian and Pennsylvanian shale, siltstone, sandstone, minor limestone.Moderate10100%

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

Putnam County beside the ground around it

Across West Virginia 18.7% of the land is rated high; none of Putnam County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Mason County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Putnam County, the 5 counties bordering it and West Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Putnam CountyZone 2None100%None
Mason CountyZone 2None100%None
Cabell CountyZone 2None100%None
Kanawha CountyZone 329.4%70.6%None
Lincoln CountyZone 210.0%90.0%None
Jackson CountyZone 2None100%None
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

Putnam County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Putnam 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

Putnam County, Questions

Questions about radon in Putnam County

Are radon levels high in Putnam County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 23.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Putnam County, West Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.5 pCi/L. Of 27 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 18 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 37.5%.

Which counties border Putnam County?

Putnam County borders 5 counties: Mason County, Cabell County, Kanawha County, Lincoln County and Jackson County.

Products

Putnam County, Products

Testing a home in Putnam County

In Putnam County, 23.1% of 52 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 37.5% pooled across West Virginia. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Putnam County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Putnam County homes, compared

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Putnam County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Putnam County

Calculated by Radon411

Putnam County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Putnam County

About 56,885 people live in Putnam County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 556 fewer than in 2020 (−1.0%). That works out to 165 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Hurricane, the largest, has 7,367 residents, 13.0% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 52 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 0.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where West Virginia as a whole comes to 5.7.

From Hurricane to Bancroft, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Putnam County's.

The cities and towns in Putnam County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Hurricane7,367+6.1%13.0%
Nitroextends beyond Putnam County6,270−4.8%Counted whole
Winfield2,381−3.0%4.2%
Eleanor1,497−3.4%2.6%
Buffalo1,185−1.6%2.1%
Poca860−2.3%1.5%
Bancroft363−2.2%0.6%

7 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 Putnam County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Putnam County, Homes

Homes in Putnam County

Of Putnam County's 24,891 homes, 75% are detached houses, against 71% across West Virginia; 14% are mobile homes. Much of Putnam County is recent building: 25% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1988, against 1976 for West Virginia. Owners live in 83% of the occupied homes (West Virginia: 74%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Putnam County, West Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesPutnam CountyWest Virginia
Housing units24,891859,653
Detached houses75%71%
In buildings of 5 or more6%8%
Mobile homes14%14%
Built before 196015%33%
Built since 200025%18%
Middle year built19881976
Owner-occupied83%74%

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