Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Iron County, Wisconsin
EPA puts Iron County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 9 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
17.6%
27.6 pts below WI
- Iron
- 17.6%
- Wisconsin
- 45.2%
51 tests, 2016
Median result
1.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Iron
- 1.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2016
Tests reported
51
60th of 69 by tests
- Iron
- 51
- Waukesha
- 2,032
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2016
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 Wisconsin
66 of 69
Lowest quarter
- Iron
- 17.6%
- Iowa
- 74.2%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Iron County
Starts at Iron County's median, 1.5 pCi/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
- 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. Iron County's median reported result, 2016.
The data
Iron County, At a glance
Iron County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Iron 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 Iron County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 75.0% |
| 2015 | 33.3% |
| 2016 | 17.6% |
| 2017 | 44.4% |
| 2019 | 22.2% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 42.9% |
| 2022 | 22.2% |
| 2023 | 22.2% |
2023: 22.2%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 75.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 9 tests were reported to CDC for Iron County over 2023, 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: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Iron County, Compared
Iron County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Iron County's 51 reported tests in 2016 had a middle value of 1.5 pCi/L and a maximum of 11.5 pCi/L, and 17.6% reached 4 pCi/L. Wisconsin as a whole (71 Wisconsin counties, pooled) comes to 45.2%: 27.6 points higher than here.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 9 tests (22.2% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 51-test figure.
Among its state's counties it ranks 66th of 69 Wisconsin counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Iowa County reported the highest share (74.2%) and Douglas County the lowest (9.8%).
Below the action level, 35 tests (68.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 30.8% statewide, and 7 tests (13.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.0% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2016, with 51 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 4.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Iron 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 14.3% in Ashland County to 53.4% in Price County, with Ashland County below Iron County.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Iron County, Geology
The ground under Iron County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Iron County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 93.0% of Iron County in the area it calls Chippewa, Wisconsin Valley, and Langlade sublobes of the Superior Lobe and 6.8% in Superior Lobe. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa, Wisconsin Valley, and Langlade sublobes of the Superior Lobe | Granite, granite-derived glacial deposits, and mafic volcanic rocks. | Moderate | 10 | 93.0% |
| Superior Lobe | Glacial deposits derived from sandstone and volcanic rocks. | Moderate | 10 | 6.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Iron County beside the ground around it
Across Wisconsin 34.8% of the land is rated high; none of Iron County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 2 have more moderate-potential ground, Price County the most at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Iron County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Iron County
- Wisconsin's radon programWisconsin Department of Health ServicesWisconsin's radon program does not license radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Wisconsin.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
We recommend starting with your regional Radon Information Center since many centers provide test kits for free or reduced cost, and often with laboratory fees covered.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Wisconsin19 professionals are listed in Wisconsin.
What Wisconsin's program says
- Phone
- 1-888-569-7236
- DHSRadon@dhs.wisconsin.gov
- Licensing of radon professionals
The State of Wisconsin does not require contractors performing radon measurement or mitigation work to be state licensed or nationally certified.
What it means
Iron County, Questions
Questions about radon in Iron County
Are radon levels high in Iron County?
In 2023, 22.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Iron County, Wisconsin were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.1 pCi/L. Of 69 Wisconsin counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 65 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 45.2%.
Which counties border Iron County?
Iron County borders 4 counties: Gogebic County, MI, Ashland County, WI, Price County, WI and Vilas County, WI.
Products
Iron County, Products
Testing a home in Iron County
In Iron County, 17.6% of 51 tests reported to CDC in 2016 reached 4 pCi/L, against 45.2% pooled across Wisconsin. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Iron 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-3786 rechargeable radon monitor with a 3.5-inch color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Iron County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Iron County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Price County, WIEPA zone 2
53.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 58 tests · 35.8 points above Iron County
- Radon levels in Vilas County, WIEPA zone 2
35.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.8 pCi/L · 113 tests · 17.8 points above Iron County
- Radon levels in Ashland County, WIEPA zone 2
14.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 35 tests · 3.3 points below Iron County
- Radon levels in Gogebic County, MIEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2016; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Iron County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Iron County
Iron County's population has barely moved since 2020: 6,127 residents on July 1, 2025 against 6,144 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 8.1 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Hurley, has 1,617 residents, 26.4% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 38.9% of those residents; the other 61.1% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 51 reported tests for 2016 come to 8.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 3.1 for Wisconsin.
From Hurley to Montreal, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Iron County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurley | 1,617 | +3.5% | 26.4% |
| Montreal | 769 | −4.1% | 12.6% |
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).
Iron County, Homes
Homes in Iron County
Iron County is a place of houses on their own lots: 88% of its 5,572 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Wisconsin. Half of its homes were built before 1973, close to Wisconsin's 1975: 39% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 87% of the occupied homes (Wisconsin: 68%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Iron County | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 5,572 | 2,750,750 |
| Detached houses | 88% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 39% | 34% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 20% |
| Middle year built | 1973 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 87% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.