Radon Mitigation in West Manchester Township, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 12,076 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover West Manchester Township (17408, 17404). 50.5% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. That is close to the county-wide rate, which is itself about one test in two. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
West Manchester Township covers the west side of York along U.S. 30 and Route 116, including Shiloh. Most of it falls in ZIP 17408, with a strip in 17404. Half of all tests in both ZIP codes came back at or above the action level. The township is a mix of post-war neighborhoods and commercial corridors, and its median home was built in 1977.
What the PA DEP test records show for West Manchester Township
ZIP codes don't follow township lines, so the 2 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside West Manchester Township.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17408 | 3,880 | 4 | 50.1% | 23.4% | 10.7% |
| 17404 | 8,196 | 4 | 50.7% | 20.2% | 6.1% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17408 (about 81% of West Manchester Township's land): median 4 pCi/L across 3,880 tests, 10.7% at 20 or higher, top reading 203. Basement median 4.8, first floor 1.4.
- ZIP 17404 (about 18% of West Manchester Township's land): median 4 pCi/L across 8,196 tests, 6.1% at 20 or higher, top reading 534. Basement median 4.6, first floor 1.7.
The spread inside West Manchester Township runs from 50.1% of tests high in 17408 to 50.7% in 17404.
Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 21.2% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 7.6% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 534 pCi/L. Neighboring houses can differ by a factor of ten, so none of this tells you what your house is. It tells you the odds are high enough that a $15 to $30 test kit is worth buying.
Tests people chose to run, not a random survey. Details on the York County radon levels page.
Basement readings versus first-floor readings
In ZIP 17408, basement tests have a median of 4.8 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.4 pCi/L (463 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 3.4 times the first-floor number, which is the usual pattern: radon comes up from the soil, so it is strongest at the lowest level and gets diluted as it moves up through the house.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17408
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 381 | 5.4 | 58.8% |
| 2010s | 2,410 | 4.2 | 51.2% |
| 2020s | 1,086 | 3.1 | 44.8% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 58.8% and sits at 44.8% for tests since 2020. A drop that size is mostly about who is testing, not the ground. More recent tests come from home sales and from retests after a system went in, and both pull the share down. The rock under West Manchester Township has not changed. 1,086 tests have been logged in 17408 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
The ground under West Manchester Township
West Manchester sits on the western end of the York Valley's limestone and dolomite, part of PA DCNR's Piedmont Lowland section.
The high end here is a little lower than in the southern part of the county. In ZIP 17404, 6% of tests reached 20 pCi/L or more, against 13% county-wide. The share above the action level is still about one in two, so a test is still the first step.
Housing in West Manchester Township and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| West Manchester Township | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 8,163 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1977 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 7.9% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 54.3% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12.9% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 67.5% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 15.3% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 1.5% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 76.3% |
67.5% of homes in West Manchester Township are single-family detached. A detached house with a basement is the easiest layout to mitigate: one suction point through the slab, a fan outside or in the garage, and a vent above the roof line. It is the standard sub-slab depressurization job covered step by step on our mitigation process page, and it usually lands in the middle of the cost range.
Cost-wise, most houses in West Manchester Township are the standard $800 to $1,500 sub-slab job, with block walls or a second suction point pushing toward $2,500. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in West Manchester Township
That covers Shiloh. U.S. 30 and Route 116 are the main corridors. Public schools here are part of the West York Area School District. The township was incorporated in 1799, and Confederate troops under Jubal Early and J.E.B. Stuart passed through in 1863 on the way to Gettysburg.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the township office at www.westmanchestertownship.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in West Manchester Township?
Yes. PA DEP has 12,076 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering West Manchester Township, and 50.5% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 7.6% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17408?
The median of 3,880 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17408 is 4 pCi/L and the mean is 9.3 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 203 pCi/L.
Nearby
York City 51.9%, Manchester Township 51.3%, Dover Township 44.2%, North Codorus Township 55.6%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 50.5% here.
Have a test result from West Manchester Township?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
Request a Free Quote Call (717) 356-9995