Radon levels in Alabama: Low
The model predicts a population-weighted basement average of 1.8 pCi/L (model estimate) across Alabama's 67 counties - close to the US average of 1.8 pCi/L. Above-ground floors average 1.1 pCi/L.
Predicted (model estimate). The pCi/L figures on this page are long-term area averages from a peer-reviewed national model built on millions of real radon tests (2001-2021). They describe the typical home in this area - not your home, which can be several times higher or lower. The EPA radon zone is a separate, 1993 county-level classification. How the numbers work.
13 / 67
EPA Zone 1 counties (19%)
33 / 21
Zone 2 / Zone 3 counties
0
counties predicted ≥ 4 pCi/L
0%
of ZIP codes predicted ≥ 4 pCi/L
Test Alabama once anyway - radon varies house to house
The predicted basement average here is 1.8 pCi/L, below the EPA's 2 pCi/L "consider fixing" threshold. That's good news for the area - but the EPA still recommends every home be tested, because foundation cracks, soil pockets and ventilation make one house very different from its neighbor. One inexpensive kit settles it.
Monitor link goes to the Airthings store - use code RADONGRADE-10OFF at checkout for 10% off any Airthings monitor.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission from Airthings or Amazon at no extra cost to you.
What the data says about radon in Alabama
According to the EPA zone map, 13 of Alabama's 67 counties are EPA Zone 1 (19%), 33 are Zone 2 and 21 are Zone 3. Zone 2 (predicted screening average of 2-4 pCi/L) is the most common designation, with the 13 Zone 1 counties marking where the EPA expected the highest potential. Treat the map as a coarse prior: it predates two decades of test data and never replaces a test in your own home.
The 2001-2021 national model predicts a population-weighted basement average of 1.8 pCi/L for Alabama (low range, close to the US average of 1.8). Of the 67 counties with predictions, 0 are predicted at or above 4 pCi/L, 17 in the 2-4 band and 50 below 2. The highest predicted county is Clay County at 2.9 pCi/L; the lowest is Mobile County at 1.3 - a 1.5 pCi/L spread that means a statewide average tells you little about any one county.
25.7% of the state's modeled ZIP codes are predicted at or above 2 pCi/L, and 0% at or above the 4 pCi/L action level - below the national shares of 4.2% and 48.7%. No ZIP in the state is predicted above 4 on average - but averages hide individual homes, which is why the EPA still asks everyone to test.
Alabama counties by predicted radon
Sorted highest to lowest predicted basement average (model estimate). 67 counties.
| County | Predicted basement | Upstairs | Grade | EPA zone | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 2.9 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 4 |
| Jackson County | 2.6 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 17 |
| Colbert County | 2.5 pCi/L | 2.0 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 5 |
| Cleburne County | 2.5 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 5 |
| Lauderdale County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.7 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 8 |
| Lawrence County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 7 |
| Limestone County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 8 |
| Franklin County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 7 |
| Talladega County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.2 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 8 |
| Madison County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 21 |
| Blount County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.2 | Moderate | EPA Zone 2 | 7 |
| DeKalb County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.0 | Moderate | EPA Zone 2 | 15 |
| Morgan County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 8 |
| Calhoun County | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 10 |
| Marshall County | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.1 | Moderate | EPA Zone 2 | 9 |
| Coosa County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.0 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 5 |
| St. Clair County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.1 | Moderate | EPA Zone 2 | 10 |
| Cherokee County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Cullman County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 11 |
| Etowah County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 10 |
| Randolph County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Winston County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Marion County | 1.9 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Shelby County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 16 |
| Tallapoosa County | 1.8 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 5 |
| Walker County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 11 |
| Chambers County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Chilton County | 1.8 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 8 |
| Fayette County | 1.8 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Bullock County | 1.7 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 2 |
| Jefferson County | 1.7 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 48 |
| Bibb County | 1.7 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 7 |
| Lee County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 7 |
| Pickens County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Hale County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 4 |
| Elmore County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 9 |
| Tuscaloosa County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 17 |
| Barbour County | 1.6 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Lowndes County | 1.6 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Russell County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 7 |
| Butler County | 1.6 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 3 |
| Autauga County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Crenshaw County | 1.5 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Dallas County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 7 |
| Lamar County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 5 |
| Clarke County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 9 |
| Pike County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Sumter County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Conecuh County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Henry County | 1.5 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Macon County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 6 |
| Marengo County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 8 |
| Coffee County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 5 |
| Montgomery County | 1.5 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 16 |
| Perry County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 3 |
| Covington County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 8 |
| Baldwin County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 20 |
| Dale County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6 |
| Geneva County | 1.4 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 7 |
| Greene County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 4 |
| Monroe County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 7 |
| Washington County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 11 |
| Choctaw County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 9 |
| Houston County | 1.4 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 10 |
| Escambia County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 3 |
| Wilcox County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 7 |
| Mobile County | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 32 |
Radon levels in Alabama cities
The 10 most-populous Alabama places among the 1,000 largest US cities (Census incorporated places and CDPs), by population. City figures are ZIP-land-weighted means of the model's ZIP predictions (model estimate).
| City | Population | Predicted basement | Upstairs | Grade | ZIPs ≥ 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 225,564 | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate | 0% |
| Birmingham | 196,644 | 1.7 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | 0% |
| Montgomery | 195,287 | 1.5 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | 0% |
| Mobile | 182,595 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | 0% |
| Tuscaloosa | 111,338 | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | 0% |
| Hoover | 92,448 | 1.6 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | 0% |
| Auburn | 82,025 | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | 0% |
| Dothan | 71,258 | 1.4 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | 0% |
| Madison | 60,854 | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | 0% |
| Decatur | 58,321 | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | 0% |
Highest-radon ZIP codes in Alabama
The 10 Alabama ZIP codes with the highest predicted basement average (model estimate), out of 587 modeled. A ZIP average is still an area figure - neighboring homes routinely test several pCi/L apart.
| ZIP | County | Predicted basement | Upstairs | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36266 | Clay County | 3.0 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate |
| 35661 | Colbert County | 2.9 pCi/L | 2.1 | Moderate |
| 35768 | Jackson County | 2.9 pCi/L | 1.7 | Moderate |
| 35634 | Lauderdale County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
| 35769 | Jackson County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.7 | Moderate |
| 36258 | Cleburne County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate |
| 36251 | Clay County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate |
| 35752 | Jackson County | 2.7 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate |
| 35801 | Madison County | 2.7 pCi/L | 2.6 | Moderate |
| 35764 | Jackson County | 2.7 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate |
Alabama radon questions
- Is radon high in Alabama?
- Alabama's population-weighted predicted basement average is 1.8 pCi/L, close to the US average of 1.8. 0 of its 67 modeled counties are predicted at or above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, 17 are in the 2-4 "consider fixing" range and 50 are below 2. 0% of Alabama ZIP codes are predicted at 4 or higher.
- Which Alabama county has the highest radon?
- Clay County has the highest predicted basement average in Alabama at 2.9 pCi/L (EPA Zone 1). The lowest is Mobile County at 1.3 pCi/L. These are area figures; individual homes in any county can test far higher.
- How many EPA Zone 1 counties are in Alabama?
- 13 of Alabama's 67 counties (19%) are EPA Zone 1 (highest potential), 33 are Zone 2 and 21 are Zone 3. The EPA zone map dates from 1993; the predicted values on this page come from a 2001-2021 model built on millions of actual tests, so the two can disagree for a given county.
- Should I test for radon in Alabama?
- Yes. Even though Alabama's predicted average is below 2 pCi/L, the EPA recommends every home be tested - radon varies house to house, and 25.7% of Alabama ZIP codes are still predicted at 2 pCi/L or higher.
Alabama radon program
Alabama's radon program page is at www.alabamapublichealth.gov; it lists testing and certified-mitigator guidance for the state. The EPA also keeps a directory of every state radon contact: EPA state radon contacts page. Then read how to test and what mitigation costs.