Is Barren County, KY a radon risk area?

EPA's own radon map rates Barren County zone 1 - highest potential, predicting a county-wide average indoor level above 4 pCi/L. Nationally that's the 89th percentile for radon potential — Barren County outranks 89% of every county EPA has rated.

Where Barren County sits nationally

About 45,609 people live in Barren County, Kentucky, spread over 487.365 square miles. Averaged across its land area, Barren County runs about 94 people per square mile. Rank 344 by population within its EPA zone puts Barren County at the 68th percentile among zone peers. EPA's geology-based Region 4 groups Barren County with 735 other counties nationally sharing its underlying rock and soil profile.

Why the zone isn't the answer by itself

Where the national indoor average runs about 1.3 pCi/L, Barren County's Zone 1 rating puts its predicted county average above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level itself. That doesn't mean every Barren County house tests high — a zone is a county-wide prediction, never a single-home reading — but it's a reason to test sooner rather than let it wait.

If Barren County tests above the action level

Nothing about Barren County's EPA zone changes the mitigation number: $800–$2,500 nationally (around $1,200 typical), set by the house's foundation rather than the county it sits in — and only relevant once a test actually clears 4 pCi/L.

Find Kentucky's state radon program

Barren County's test kit answers today; a Airthings radon monitor keeps answering for Barren County over time. Affiliate link, RadonZoneCheck earns a commission there, at no extra cost to you. Use code RADONZONE-10OFF at checkout for 10% off.

More on how this number was built

Barren County's zone, rank and region all trace back to named EPA and Census sources — the methodology guide lists exactly which ones. The guide to what a radon zone actually means covers why testing matters in every zone, not just Zone 1.