Manganese and arsenic are widespread in Stark County wells.
2 widespread, 2 rare out of 4 health checks.
From 20 wells tested in Stark County since 2001; your own well needs its own test. How to read this
Not charted, because fewer than 10 wells were tested: nitrate (3), uranium (3), radon (1).
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Who drinks from a well here
1 in 3 people 122,789 people
Nobody else tests these wells. Only you do.
People on wells: EPA researchers' 2020 estimate
How deep wells go here
Middle depth: some shelter from the surface, not complete.
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Radon risk (a gas from rock)
Likely here. Test your home's air first.
Radon zones: EPA map
Here's how Stark County compares with Ohio and the counties around it.
Each result puts Stark County next to the 8 counties that border it, on the chart's 0 to 50% scale.
These 2 are widespread in Stark County wells.
Manganese8 of 20 wells over
Too few tested to show: Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Summit, Wayne.
Arsenic3 of 12 wells over
Too few tested to show: Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Portage, Summit, Wayne.
These 2 are rare in Stark County.
Lead0 of 12 wells over
Too few tested to show: Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Portage, Summit, Wayne.
Fluoride0 of 20 wells over
Too few tested to show: Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Summit, Wayne.
Too few Stark County wells were tested for these 3.
Nitrate3 wells tested
Uranium3 wells tested
Radon in water1 well tested
None of the 1 Stark County wells tested for bacteria had it, but every well needs a yearly test.
Coliform bacteria0 of 1 wells had it
E. coli0 of 1 wells had it
E. coli means human or animal waste is getting in, so if a test of your Stark County well finds it, boil drinking water until the well is fixed.
Iron reached staining levels in 14 of 20 tested wells, and it isn't a health risk.
Iron stains14 of 20 wells had it
Too few tested to show: Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Mahoning, Summit, Wayne.
Stark County has 20 tested wells, and the busiest decade for testing was the 2010s.
None of the 20 wells has a test from 2020 or later, so a fresh test of your own well tells you more than any of these.
Most Stark County wells in these records were tested for research or because someone suspected a problem, which can push the shares above what a typical home well would show (how we read the numbers).
One mail-in lab test covers the 4 things to check in Stark County.
- Bacteria
- Nitrate
- Manganese
- Arsenic
What Ohio offers well owners
- Free testingWe didn't find a free program for all of Ohio. Ohio's private well page
- Certified labsOhio's list of certified labs
- Well recordsOhio's well record search
Half the household wells here are shallower than 112 feet.
That comes from 20,358 household wells in Ohio's drilling records. Most wells of every kind here are 75 to 160 feet deep. Wells as deep as Stark County's are usually better protected from fertilizer and bacteria at the surface, but they can pick up more of what's in the rock, like arsenic and uranium. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 72 of the 87 other Ohio counties with enough drilling records.
Look up your own well's depth in Ohio's well record search, or see how to find it.
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Here's what we know about radon and PFAS in Stark County.
Stark County is in the EPA's highest radon zone. Radon from well water adds to the radon in your indoor air, so test your air first, and your water too if the air is high. Radon guide
Between 2023 and 2025 the EPA had 8 town water systems in Stark County test for PFAS. 3 found some PFAS, all below the new limits. No well in Stark County has public PFAS results, so the town systems are the best clue to what's in the groundwater nearby. PFAS guide
Radon zones: EPA Map of Radon Zones. PFAS: EPA tests of town water systems, 2023 to 2025
Questions people ask about well water in Stark County
Is well water in Stark County safe to drink?
8 of 20 wells tested in Stark County had manganese over the limit, about 4 in 10. Across Ohio it's about 2 in 10. That's a bigger share than in 13 of the 14 other Ohio counties with 10 or more tested wells. So test your own well for manganese before you count on it.
Where can I get my well tested in Stark County?
Use a lab Ohio has certified for drinking water. Ohio's list is linked above, in the box about testing. Ask for bacteria, nitrate, manganese and arsenic, the tests that matter most in Stark County.
How deep are wells in Stark County?
Half the household wells here are shallower than 112 feet. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 72 of the 87 other Ohio counties with enough drilling records.
How does Stark County compare with the counties around it?
For manganese, the share of tested wells over the limit: 1 of the 2 neighboring counties with data had a higher share than Stark County, at 40%. Tuscarawas had the most, at 88%. Groundwater doesn't stop at county lines, so Tuscarawas's 88% is worth knowing about if you live near it.
How often should I test my well in Stark County?
None of the 1 wells tested for bacteria in Stark County had it, but the CDC still says to test for bacteria and nitrate every year, and right away after a flood, a repair, or any change in taste or smell.
If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. We'd recommend the same thing either way, and we'll tell you when a free option exists. How we make money
Where the Stark County numbers come from
- People on wells: 122,789 in Stark County, from EPA estimates built on the 2020 Census (Murray et al.).
- Lab tests: 232 well water samples from 20 wells in the Water Quality Portal, run by the USGS and EPA, 2001 to 2016.
- Well depths: 20,358 Ohio drilling records for Stark County, gathered in the US Groundwater Well Database (Lin and others, 2024).
- Neighboring counties: the 8 counties that share a border with Stark County, from the Census Bureau's county adjacency file.
- PFAS: EPA tests of 8 town water systems in Stark County under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 2023 to 2025.
- Radon: Stark County is zone 1 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
- State programs and links: Department of Health, checked November 1, 2026.