Short-term kit
PicoCan short-term charcoal canister radon test
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Upshur County, West Virginia
EPA puts Upshur County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 29 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
16.7%
20.6 pts below WV
- Upshur
- 16.7%
- WV
- 37.3%
30 tests, 2005 to 2014
Median result
1.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Upshur
- 1.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2005 to 2014
Tests reported
30
26th of 26 by tests
- Upshur
- 30
- Berkeley
- 2,514
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2005 to 2014
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in WV
21 of 26
Lowest quarter
- Upshur
- 16.7%
- Morgan
- 61.4%
By share, of 26 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Upshur County
Starts at Upshur County's median, 1.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.8 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Upshur County's median reported result, 2005 to 2014.
The data
Upshur County, At a glance
Upshur County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Upshur 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 Upshur County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CDC holds 29 reported tests for Upshur County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, with a median of 2.6 pCi/L: too few to describe a county (Radon411 reads a share from 30 tests up). Upshur County beside the counties around it is how this page reads it.
What these figures count
Only 29 tests were reported to CDC for Upshur 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).
Upshur County, Compared
Upshur County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Upshur County's 30 reported tests over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.8 pCi/L and a maximum of 16.4 pCi/L, and 16.7% reached 4 pCi/L. West Virginia as a whole (55 West Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 37.3%: 20.6 points higher than here.
The newest figure, over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, counts only 29 tests (20.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 30-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 21st of 26 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Morgan County reported the highest share (61.4%) and Grant County the lowest (7.1%).
Below the action level, 16 tests (53.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 38.4% statewide, and 9 tests (30.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.4% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Upshur County went from 30 tests (2005 to 2014) to 29 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 16.7% to 20.7%.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Upshur 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 35.6% in Harrison County to 36.6% in Randolph County.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Upshur County, Geology
The ground under Upshur County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Upshur County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 65.8% of Upshur County in the area it calls Central Allegheny Plateau and 34.2% 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 | 65.8% |
| Eastern Allegheny Plateau and Mtns | Devonian-Pennsylvanian shale, siltstone, sandstone, minor limestone and coal | Moderate | 10 | 34.2% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Upshur County beside the ground around it
Across West Virginia 18.7% of the land is rated high; none of Upshur County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Randolph County the most at 2.9%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Upshur County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Upshur 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
Upshur County, Questions
Questions about radon in Upshur County
Are radon levels high in Upshur County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 20.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Upshur County, West Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.6 pCi/L. Of 26 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 20 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 37.3%.
Which counties border Upshur County?
Upshur County borders 5 counties: Lewis County, Barbour County, Randolph County, Harrison County and Webster County.
Products
Upshur County, Products
Testing a home in Upshur County
In Upshur County, 16.7% of 30 tests reported to CDC over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 37.3% pooled across West Virginia. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Upshur 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
Monitor
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- 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
Upshur County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Upshur County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Webster CountyEPA zone 2
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.6 pCi/L · 8 tests · 33.3 points above Upshur County
- Radon levels in Randolph CountyEPA zone 2
36.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 41 tests · 19.9 points above Upshur County
- Radon levels in Harrison CountyEPA zone 2
35.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 160 tests · 18.9 points above Upshur County
- Radon levels in Barbour CountyEPA zone 2
27.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 11 tests · 10.6 points above Upshur County
- Radon levels in Lewis CountyEPA zone 2
15.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 20 tests · 1.7 points below Upshur County
Upshur County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Upshur County
Upshur County's population has barely moved since 2020: 23,758 residents on July 1, 2025 against 23,820 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 67 people per square mile of land. Buckhannon, its one incorporated place, has 5,054 residents, 21.3% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 30 tests over 2005 to 2014, or 1.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where West Virginia as a whole comes to 5.1.
Buckhannon is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Upshur County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckhannon | 5,054 | −2.6% | 21.3% |
One incorporated place, 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).
Upshur County, Homes
Homes in Upshur County
Of Upshur County's 11,237 homes, 71% are detached houses, against 71% across West Virginia; 23% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1979, close to West Virginia's 1976: 25% date from before 1960 and 19% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (West Virginia: 74%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Upshur County | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 11,237 | 859,653 |
| Detached houses | 71% | 71% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 8% |
| Mobile homes | 23% | 14% |
| Built before 1960 | 25% | 33% |
| Built since 2000 | 19% | 18% |
| Middle year built | 1979 | 1976 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 74% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.