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Radon Levels in Wood County, West Virginia

EPA puts Wood County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 15.9% of its 905 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

    15.9%

    21.6 pts below WV

    Wood
    15.9%
    WV
    37.5%

    905 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.8pCi/L

    Below action level

    Wood
    1.8 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    905

    3rd of 27 by tests

    Wood
    905
    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

    26 of 27

    Lowest quarter

    Wood
    15.9%
    Morgan
    58.1%

    By share, of 27 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Wood County

Starts at Wood County's median, 1.8 pCi/L

1.8pCi/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

  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. Wood County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Wood County, At a glance

Wood County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Wood 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 Wood County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Wood County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 55%2 to 4 pCi/L: 29%4 pCi/L and above: 16%

Of 905 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Wood County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L49654.8%
2 to 4 pCi/L26529.3%
4 pCi/L and above14415.9%
What these figures count

These are the 905 tests reported to CDC for Wood 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

Wood County, Compared

Wood County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Wood County's 905 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.8 pCi/L and a maximum of 35.3 pCi/L, and 15.9% reached 4 pCi/L. West Virginia as a whole (55 West Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 37.5%: 21.6 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 26th 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, 496 tests (54.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 37.7% statewide, and 265 tests (29.3%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.7% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Wood County went from 994 tests (2005 to 2014) to 905 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 15.6% to 15.9%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Wood 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 38.1% in Athens County, OH to 38.1% in Washington County, OH.

CDC also counts 12 tests taken after mitigation in Wood County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Wood County against West Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Wood County
Wood County90515.9%1.8 pCi/LThis county
West Virginia, pooled55 counties, pooled10,06137.5%Not pooled+21.6 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+19.8 points
Morgan Countyhighest in the state24158.1%5.8 pCi/L+42.2 points
Grant Countylowest in the state1649.8%1.1 pCi/L−6.1 points
Pleasants County, WVborders it2450.0%4.0 pCi/L+34.1 points
Washington County, OHborders it34938.1%3.1 pCi/L+22.2 points
Athens County, OHborders it31838.1%3.1 pCi/L+22.2 points
Jackson County, WVborders it2425.0%2.5 pCi/L+9.1 points
Meigs County, OHborders it2020.0%2.7 pCi/L+4.1 points
Ritchie County, WVborders it185.6%1.9 pCi/L−10.3 points
Wirt County, WVborders it80.0%1.6 pCi/L−15.9 points
Where Wood County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside West Virginia and the United States
ResultWood County testsWood County shareWest Virginia shareU.S. shareAgainst West Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L49654.8%37.7%39.6%+17.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L26529.3%24.7%24.7%+4.6 points
4 pCi/L and above14415.9%37.5%35.7%−21.6 points
Wood 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
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
Cabell County25 of 2714516.6%2.0 pCi/L
Wood County26 of 2790515.9%1.8 pCi/L
Grant County27 of 271649.8%1.1 pCi/L
Wood 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 201790515.9%1.8 pCi/L35.3 pCi/L37.5%−1.0 points
2007 to 201697116.9%1.8 pCi/L35.3 pCi/L37.3%+0.9 points
2006 to 20151,01016.0%1.8 pCi/L35.3 pCi/L37.7%+0.4 points
2005 to 201499415.6%1.8 pCi/L35.3 pCi/L37.3%First on file

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

Wood County, Geology

The ground under Wood County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Wood County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. 99.0% 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 Wood County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Central Allegheny PlateauPermian and Pennsylvanian shale, siltstone, sandstone, minor limestone.Moderate1099.0%
Unglaciated PlateauMississippian through Permian limestone, dolomite, and shale.Moderate111.0%

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

Wood County beside the ground around it

Across West Virginia 18.7% of the land is rated high; none of Wood County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Athens County, OH comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Wood County, the 7 counties bordering it and West Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Wood CountyZone 2None100%None
Wirt CountyZone 2None100%None
Washington County, OHZone 2None100%None
Pleasants CountyZone 2None100%None
Ritchie CountyZone 2None100%None
Jackson CountyZone 2None100%None
Athens County, OHZone 2None100%None
Meigs County, OHZone 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

Wood County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Wood County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Wood County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Parkersburg, Williamstown

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

Wood County, Questions

Questions about radon in Wood County

Are radon levels high in Wood County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 15.9% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Wood County, West Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.8 pCi/L. Of 27 West Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 25 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 37.5%.

Which counties border Wood County?

Wood County borders 7 counties: Wirt County, WV, Washington County, OH, Pleasants County, WV, Ritchie County, WV, Jackson County, WV, Athens County, OH and Meigs County, OH.

Products

Wood County, Products

Testing a home in Wood County

In Wood County, 15.9% of 905 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 Wood County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Wood County homes, compared

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Wood County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Wood County

Calculated by Radon411

Wood County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Wood County

About 82,385 people live in Wood County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 1,768 fewer than in 2020 (−2.1%). That works out to 225 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Parkersburg, has 28,593 residents, 34.7% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 51.8% of those residents; the other 48.2% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 905 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 11.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 5.7 for West Virginia.

From Parkersburg to North Hills, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Wood County's.

The cities and towns in Wood County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Parkersburg28,593−3.5%34.7%
Vienna10,321−2.9%12.5%
Williamstown2,922−2.2%3.5%
North Hills805−3.4%1.0%

4 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).

Wood County, Homes

Homes in Wood County

Wood County is a place of houses on their own lots: 75% of its 40,296 homes are detached single-family houses, against 71% across West Virginia. Half of its homes were built before 1969, close to West Virginia's 1976: 38% date from before 1960 and 11% from 2000 or later. 74% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (West Virginia: 74%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Wood County, West Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesWood CountyWest Virginia
Housing units40,296859,653
Detached houses75%71%
In buildings of 5 or more9%8%
Mobile homes8%14%
Built before 196038%33%
Built since 200011%18%
Middle year built19691976
Owner-occupied74%74%

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