Is Wilkes County, NC a radon risk area?

EPA places Wilkes County in Zone 2 - Moderate Potential — a predicted county-wide average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L, based on the geology, soil and aerial radioactivity data behind EPA's national map. That puts Wilkes County in the 57th percentile nationally for radon potential — higher than 57% of the counties EPA has rated.

How Wilkes County compares

About 66,186 people live in Wilkes County, North Carolina, spread over 753.678 square miles. That works out to roughly 88 people per square mile. Rank 281 by population within its EPA zone puts Wilkes County at the 73rd percentile among zone peers. Wilkes County falls in EPA Radon Region 4, one of 736 counties nationally EPA assigns to that same geologic province.

What this actually means for a house in Wilkes County

Call it a middle case: above the 1.3 pCi/L most US homes average, below the 4 pCi/L line EPA uses to recommend mitigation — that's Wilkes County's Zone 2 prediction. A Zone 2 rating is a moderate county-wide average, not a guarantee about any one house in Wilkes County — testing is the only way to know an individual home's actual level.

If Wilkes County tests above the action level

Nothing about Wilkes 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 North Carolina's state radon program

Wilkes County's test kit answers today; a Airthings radon monitor keeps answering for Wilkes 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

Wilkes County's zone, rank and region all trace back to named EPA and Census sources — the methodology guide lists exactly which ones. Whatever zone Wilkes County carries, the zone explainer covers what it does and doesn't tell you about any one house.