Is Des Moines County, IA a radon risk area?

EPA's own radon map rates Des Moines County zone 1 - highest potential, predicting a county-wide average indoor level above 4 pCi/L. That puts Des Moines County in the 88th percentile nationally for radon potential — higher than 88% of the counties EPA has rated.

Des Moines County by the numbers

About 38,411 people live in Des Moines County, Iowa, spread over 416.129 square miles. Population density there runs about 92 people per square mile. Rank 389 by population within its EPA zone puts Des Moines County at the 64th percentile among zone peers. Des Moines County falls in EPA Radon Region 7, one of 412 counties nationally EPA assigns to that same geologic province.

Why the zone isn't the answer by itself

Outdoor air nationally averages about 0.4 pCi/L, indoor air about 1.3 pCi/L — Des Moines County's Zone 1 prediction clears both of those and EPA's fix-it threshold besides. Some Des Moines County homes will test comfortably under the action level despite the county's Zone 1 rating — the only way to know which kind of home you have is an actual test.

Testing and mitigation in Des Moines County

Nothing about Des Moines 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 Iowa's state radon program

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

More on how this number was built

Every figure on this page traces to EPA's own Map of Radon Zones and Census data, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why a low zone still deserves a test, the zone explainer covers that directly.