Pennsylvania · county radon data
Radon in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
36.3% of the 1,103 home radon tests on record here reached the EPA action level — toward the lower end of the state's tested counties, ranked #56 of 67 tested Pennsylvania counties.
What the numbers say
Lackawanna County sits 12.7 points below the Pennsylvania median (49% of tests over the limit across the state's counties). The median reading among its 1,103 reported tests was 2.7 pCi/L — and the single highest test on record reached 247.3 pCi/L, more than 61× the action level. EPA maps place the county in Radon Zone 1 — its highest-potential category, where average indoor screening levels are predicted above 4 pCi/L.
Why: the ground under Lackawanna County
Sits in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields, where fractured coal measures, interbedded shales, and a century of mining-altered ground create efficient pathways for radon migration. (Regional attribution here is well supported; unit-level detail is coarser — see methodology.)
Geology sources: USGS OFR 93-292-C.
The housing stock factor
The median Lackawanna County home dates to 1955 — decades before radon-resistant new construction entered building codes. With 216,146 residents largely housed in that older stock, testing is the only way any individual household knows where it stands.
Radon by ZIP in Lackawanna County
Pennsylvania is one of the few states publishing actual test results at ZIP level (PA DEP residential data, 1986–2026) — county averages hide a lot; this doesn't.
| ZIP | Place | Tests | % ≥ 4 pCi/L | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18414 | Dalton | 76 | 40.8% | 60.6 |
| 18433 | Jermyn | 1,011 | 38.1% | 66 |
| 18420 | Fleetville | 51 | 33.3% | 17 |
| 18444 | Moscow | 1,919 | 31.2% | 132.3 |
| 18411 | Clarks Summit | 8,063 | 31% | 301 |
| 18452 | Peckville | 915 | 30.4% | 69.6 |
| 18518 | Old Forge | 1,371 | 29.6% | 56.4 |
| 18424 | Gouldsboro | 956 | 28.8% | 63 |
| 18507 | Moosic | 1,120 | 28.7% | 62 |
| 18471 | Waverly | 490 | 26.1% | 104 |
| 18447 | Olyphant | 1,525 | 25.4% | 91.7 |
| 18434 | Jessup | 636 | 24.5% | 52 |
| 18519 | Scranton | 930 | 23.8% | 97.1 |
| 18512 | Scranton | 2,181 | 20.8% | 65.4 |
| 18517 | Taylor | 530 | 20.2% | 37.3 |
| 18505 | Scranton | 2,944 | 20% | 92.6 |
| 18407 | Carbondale | 1,241 | 19.3% | 100.5 |
| 18508 | Scranton | 1,021 | 19.2% | 304 |
| 18403 | Archbald | 1,306 | 18.8% | 86.3 |
| 18504 | Scranton | 2,242 | 17.7% | 110 |
| 18503 | Scranton | 89 | 13.5% | 11.4 |
| 18509 | Scranton | 1,433 | 12.6% | 9999.9 |
| 18510 | Scranton | 1,277 | 10.6% | 60.8 |
Lackawanna County in the Pennsylvania picture
| Lackawanna County | 36.3% over the limit | 1,103 tests |
| Pennsylvania's highest: Fulton County | 69.7% | 90 tests |
| Pennsylvania county median | 49% | 67 counties ranked |
| Share of all Pennsylvania tests from this county | 0.6% | |
Ranked nearby in Pennsylvania
- Washington County — #53, 37.9% of 2,504 tests over the limit
- Allegheny County — #54, 37.3% of 17,929 tests over the limit
- Mercer County — #55, 36.7% of 1,230 tests over the limit
- Fayette County — #57, 35.8% of 526 tests over the limit
- Luzerne County — #58, 34.4% of 2,323 tests over the limit
- Crawford County — #59, 33.4% of 878 tests over the limit
(Ranking neighbors — counties adjacent in the Pennsylvania test ranking, not necessarily on the map.)
High test? Fixes and real pricing: the Pennsylvania mitigation cost guide. Every statistic here traces to the methodology (CDC EPHT (labs), 2008–2017; zones: EPA; year built & population: ACS 5-year; ZIP results: PA DEP).
Lackawanna County radon FAQ
- Is radon high in Lackawanna County?
- 36.3% of 1,103 home tests reported to the CDC came back at or above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L — 12.7 points below the Pennsylvania county median of 49%, ranking #56 of 67 tested counties. EPA classifies the county as Zone 1.
- Does an older home in Lackawanna County mean more radon risk?
- The county's median home was built in 1955 — before radon-resistant construction practices entered building codes in the 1990s, so most of the housing stock has no built-in radon protection. Construction age changes the odds, not the answer: only a test tells you about your house.
- Where do these Lackawanna County numbers come from?
- 1,103 aggregated home tests in the CDC's Environmental Public Health Tracking dataset (CDC EPHT 2008-2017). Median reading: 2.7 pCi/L; the highest recorded test hit 247.3 pCi/L. How we handle the data, including its limits, is documented on our methodology page.
- Which ZIP codes in Lackawanna County test highest?
- In PA DEP's residential results (1986–2026): 18414 (Dalton) — 40.8% of 76 tests over the limit; 18433 (Jermyn) — 38.1% of 1,011 tests over the limit; 18420 (Fleetville) — 33.3% of 51 tests over the limit. Full ZIP table below.