Is Otoe County, NE a radon risk area?

EPA's own radon map rates Otoe County zone 1 - highest potential, predicting a county-wide average indoor level above 4 pCi/L. Nationally that's the 80th percentile for radon potential — Otoe County outranks 80% of every county EPA has rated.

Otoe County by the numbers

About 16,591 people live in Otoe County, Nebraska, spread over 615.618 square miles. Population density there runs about 27 people per square mile. Rank 628 by population within its EPA zone puts Otoe County at the 41st percentile among zone peers. EPA's geology-based Region 7 groups Otoe County with 411 other counties nationally sharing its underlying rock and soil profile.

Why the zone isn't the answer by itself

Fixing a home becomes an EPA recommendation past 4 pCi/L, and that is precisely the side of the line Otoe County's Zone 1 prediction lands on, well above the roughly 1.3 pCi/L most US homes average. A Zone 1 rating means testing is worth doing sooner rather than later, but it is still county-wide average, not a reading for any single house — some homes in Otoe County will test well under the action level, and EPA's guidance is to test regardless of zone.

Testing and mitigation in Otoe County

Nothing about Otoe 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 Nebraska's state radon program

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

More on how this number was built

Otoe 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.