Radon levels in New York: Low
The model predicts a population-weighted basement average of 1.4 pCi/L (model estimate) across New York's 62 counties - about 25% below the US average of 1.8 pCi/L. Above-ground floors average 0.8 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. Measured state test results are shown separately below, labeled with their source and years. How the numbers work.
34 / 62
EPA Zone 1 counties (55%)
13 / 15
Zone 2 / Zone 3 counties
0
counties predicted ≥ 4 pCi/L
29.9%
of measured tests ≥ 4 pCi/L (1987-2025)
Test New York once anyway - radon varies house to house
The predicted basement average here is 1.4 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.
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What the data says about radon in New York
On the EPA's 1993 radon zone map, 34 of New York's 62 counties are EPA Zone 1 (55%), 13 are Zone 2 and 15 are Zone 3. Zone 1 - the highest-potential class, predicted screening average above 4 pCi/L - is the most common designation in New York. That classification has not been revised since 1993; it describes counties, not homes, and elevated readings turn up in Zone 3 counties every year.
New York models out at 1.4 pCi/L predicted basement average (low; 25% below the US average of 1.8). Of the 62 counties with predictions, 0 are predicted at or above 4 pCi/L, 25 in the 2-4 band and 37 below 2. The highest predicted county is Schuyler County at 2.8 pCi/L; the lowest is Kings County at 0.9 - a 1.8 pCi/L spread that means a statewide average tells you little about any one county.
At ZIP-code resolution, 0% of New York ZIPs are predicted at 4 pCi/L or higher in the basement and 38.3% at 2 or higher - 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.
Measured data exists for New York: New York State Department of Health publishes 1987-2025 results for 58 counties (122,814 tests). Weighted by test count, the measured mean is 5.1 pCi/L and 29.9% of results are at or above 4 pCi/L. The county with the largest share of elevated results is Cortland County (66.4%); the smallest is Nassau County (4.7%). In 57 of the 58 counties with both figures, the measured mean is higher than the model's long-term basement estimate - expected, because state tests are voluntary and skew toward basements and homeowners who suspected a problem. Each county page shows both side by side.
New York counties by predicted radon
Sorted highest to lowest predicted basement average (model estimate). 62 counties. The “Measured ≥ 4” column is the share of New York State Department of Health test results at or above 4 pCi/L, 1987-2025.
| County | Predicted basement | Upstairs | Grade | EPA zone | Measured ≥ 4 | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuyler County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 25.7% | 10 |
| Otsego County | 2.8 pCi/L | 1.7 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 40.6% | 31 |
| Wyoming County | 2.6 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 42.6% | 16 |
| Steuben County | 2.5 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 52.1% | 24 |
| Livingston County | 2.5 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 33.9% | 17 |
| Delaware County | 2.5 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 39.4% | 27 |
| Chemung County | 2.5 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 64.7% | 15 |
| Chenango County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 42.5% | 15 |
| Schoharie County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 28.5% | 17 |
| Allegany County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 45.4% | 26 |
| Cattaraugus County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 44.7% | 22 |
| Cortland County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.7 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 66.4% | 8 |
| Tioga County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.6 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 49.1% | 12 |
| Seneca County | 2.4 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 15.1% | 6 |
| Genesee County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 32.1% | 13 |
| Sullivan County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 23.5% | 42 |
| Greene County | 2.3 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 22.7% | 33 |
| Ulster County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 29% | 45 |
| Yates County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 31.3% | 9 |
| Chautauqua County | 2.2 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 32.2% | 26 |
| Columbia County | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 42% | 23 |
| Dutchess County | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.4 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 45.7% | 29 |
| Madison County | 2.1 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 33.6% | 20 |
| Rensselaer County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.2 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 35.2% | 24 |
| Ontario County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.3 | Moderate | EPA Zone 1 | 22.5% | 15 |
| Tompkins County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.3 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 30.6% | 9 |
| Washington County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.2 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 32.9% | 20 |
| Orange County | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.2 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 32.5% | 38 |
| Oneida County | 1.9 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 34.4% | 40 |
| Herkimer County | 1.9 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 39.1% | 15 |
| Putnam County | 1.9 pCi/L | 1.5 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 30% | 8 |
| Broome County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.3 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 32.6% | 20 |
| Cayuga County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 24.3% | 14 |
| Fulton County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 12.7% | 7 |
| Lewis County | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 28.6% | 13 |
| Hamilton County | 1.8 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 12.5% | 11 |
| Saratoga County | 1.7 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 24.2% | 21 |
| Essex County | 1.7 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 4.9% | 26 |
| Franklin County | 1.7 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 5.6% | 19 |
| Wayne County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 16.4% | 15 |
| Montgomery County | 1.6 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 17.1% | 9 |
| Orleans County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 19.1% | 7 |
| Onondaga County | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 42.7% | 38 |
| Jefferson County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 23.3% | 29 |
| Schenectady County | 1.5 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 18.8% | 12 |
| Clinton County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 9.8% | 23 |
| St. Lawrence County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 10.6% | 36 |
| Warren County | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 16.6% | 18 |
| Oswego County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 12.2% | 20 |
| Rockland County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 12.3% | 25 |
| Suffolk County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6% | 95 |
| Westchester County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 14.8% | 69 |
| Albany County | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 19.2% | 34 |
| Niagara County | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 8.5% | 18 |
| Monroe County | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | EPA Zone 2 | 7.5% | 41 |
| Nassau County | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 4.7% | 65 |
| Erie County | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.9 | Low | EPA Zone 1 | 21.4% | 60 |
| Richmond County | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | - | 12 |
| Bronx County | 1.1 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | - | 25 |
| New York County | 1.0 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | 6.3% | 38 |
| Queens County | 1.0 pCi/L | 0.5 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | - | 59 |
| Kings County | 0.9 pCi/L | 0.5 | Low | EPA Zone 3 | - | 37 |
Radon levels in New York cities
The 21 most-populous New York 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,258,035 | 1.1 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | 0% |
| Buffalo | 274,678 | 0.7 pCi/L | 0.5 | Low | 0% |
| Yonkers | 207,657 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Rochester | 207,274 | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Syracuse | 145,560 | 1.4 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Albany | 101,228 | 1.1 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| New Rochelle | 83,742 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Cheektowaga | 75,178 | 1.1 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Mount Vernon | 71,168 | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Schenectady | 68,544 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.8 | Low | 0% |
| Utica | 63,607 | 1.6 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| White Plains | 61,288 | 1.5 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Brentwood | 60,664 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | 0% |
| Hempstead | 58,225 | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | 0% |
| Levittown | 51,881 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | 0% |
| Irondequoit | 51,692 | 1.3 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Troy | 50,607 | 2.0 pCi/L | 1.1 | Low | 0% |
| Niagara Falls | 47,599 | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.7 | Low | 0% |
| Binghamton | 46,727 | 1.8 pCi/L | 1.2 | Low | 0% |
| West Seneca | 44,711 | 1.3 pCi/L | 1.0 | Low | 0% |
| Freeport | 43,756 | 1.2 pCi/L | 0.6 | Low | 0% |
Highest-radon ZIP codes in New York
The 10 New York ZIP codes with the highest predicted basement average (model estimate), out of 1,571 modeled. A ZIP average is still an area figure - neighboring homes routinely test several pCi/L apart.
| ZIP | County | Predicted basement | Upstairs | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14066 | Wyoming County | 3.7 pCi/L | 1.9 | Moderate |
| 14141 | Erie County | 3.3 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
| 13820 | Otsego County | 3.3 pCi/L | 1.9 | Moderate |
| 14871 | Chemung County | 3.2 pCi/L | 2.0 | Moderate |
| 14812 | Schuyler County | 3.1 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
| 14772 | Cattaraugus County | 3.1 pCi/L | 1.9 | Moderate |
| 14757 | Chautauqua County | 3.0 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
| 14891 | Schuyler County | 3.0 pCi/L | 1.5 | Moderate |
| 14826 | Steuben County | 3.0 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
| 14784 | Chautauqua County | 3.0 pCi/L | 1.8 | Moderate |
New York radon questions
- Is radon high in New York?
- New York's population-weighted predicted basement average is 1.4 pCi/L, about 25% below the US average of 1.8. 0 of its 62 modeled counties are predicted at or above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, 25 are in the 2-4 "consider fixing" range and 37 are below 2. 0% of New York ZIP codes are predicted at 4 or higher.
- Which New York county has the highest radon?
- Schuyler County has the highest predicted basement average in New York at 2.8 pCi/L (EPA Zone 1). The lowest is Kings County at 0.9 pCi/L. In measured state test data (1987-2025), Cortland County has the largest share of results at or above 4 pCi/L (66.4%). These are area figures; individual homes in any county can test far higher.
- How many EPA Zone 1 counties are in New York?
- 34 of New York's 62 counties (55%) are EPA Zone 1 (highest potential), 13 are Zone 2 and 15 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 New York?
- Yes. Even though New York's predicted average is below 2 pCi/L, the EPA recommends every home be tested - radon varies house to house, and 38.3% of New York ZIP codes are still predicted at 2 pCi/L or higher.
- What do actual radon tests show in New York?
- New York State Department of Health publishes 1987-2025 test results for 58 New York counties (122,814 tests). Weighted by test count, the measured mean is 5.1 pCi/L and 29.9% of results are at or above 4 pCi/L. The measured mean is higher than the model's long-term basement estimate in 57 of 58 comparable counties; state tests are voluntary and skew toward basements and homes where radon was suspected, while the model estimates the average across all homes.
New York radon program
New York's radon program page is at www.health.ny.gov and, when we checked it, offered low-cost test kits through the Radon Program. 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.