Radon Mitigation in West York, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 8,196 home radon tests on record from the ZIP code that cover West York (17404). 50.7% 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 York is a borough in York County with about 5,092 residents and 1,971 homes, median year built 1938. It sits next to the City of York. The Ashley and Bailey Company Silk Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. 50.7% of PA DEP radon tests in its ZIP codes came back at or above the action level, below the county's 52.5%.
What the PA DEP test records show for West York
ZIP 17404 covers essentially all of West York, so these numbers are about as local as public radon data gets.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17404 | 8,196 | 4 | 50.7% | 20.2% | 6.1% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
The share that matters most is the 20+ column. 6.1% of tests here came in at 20 pCi/L or more, five times the action level. The single highest 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 17404, basement tests have a median of 4.6 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 1.7 pCi/L (1,092 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.7 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 17404
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 168 | 3.7 | 45.8% |
| 1990s | 1,388 | 4.2 | 52.4% |
| 2000s | 2,228 | 4.8 | 57% |
| 2010s | 3,040 | 3.9 | 49.5% |
| 2020s | 1,372 | 3.1 | 42% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 57% and sits at 42% 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 York has not changed. 1,372 tests have been logged in 17404 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in West York and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| West York | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 1,971 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1938 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 54.3% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 97.8% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 0% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 23% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 45.9% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 54.4% | 76.3% |
54.3% of the homes in West York were built before 1940, against 18.3% county-wide. Houses that old usually sit on stone or early block foundations with no vapor barrier and plenty of joints, which gives soil gas more ways in. They are still very fixable. The installer just spends more time sealing, and sometimes needs a second suction point, which is why these jobs tend to land toward the upper end of the cost range.
About 45.9% of homes here are attached: rowhomes, twins and townhouses. A shared wall does not stop radon, and neither does a neighbor's system, so each unit needs its own test. The tricky part is pipe routing, since there is often no side yard to run the vent up. Our rowhome radon guide covers how installers handle it.
Only about 54.4% of homes in West York are owner-occupied, so a lot of people here rent. Pennsylvania does not require landlords to test, but a tenant can ask, and a landlord can test between tenancies without much hassle. Our landlord testing guide covers the details.
Cost-wise, an attached home in West York is usually still a single suction point, so $800 to $1,500 is the normal range, but a long interior pipe run to get above the roof line can push it higher. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in West York
Public schools here are part of West York Area School District. The Ashley and Bailey Company Silk Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at westyorkpa.gov.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in West York?
Yes. PA DEP has 8,196 tests on record from the ZIP code covering West York, and 50.7% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 6.1% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17404?
The median of 8,196 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17404 is 4 pCi/L and the mean is 7 pCi/L. The top reading on record there is 534 pCi/L.
Nearby
North York 50.7%, Manchester Township 51.3%, York City 51.9%, Conewago Township 49.1%, West Manchester Township 50.5%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 50.7% here.
Have a test result from West York?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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