The nasal epithelium of the cystic fibrosis (CF) mouse has been used extensively in CF research, as it exhibits ion transport defects similar to those of human CF airways. This tissue is composed of ~50% olfactory (OE) and ~50% ciliated epithelium (CE), and based on previous observations, we hypothesized that a significant fraction of the bioelectric signals from murine nasal tissue may arise from OE rather than CE, which is the target tissue for CF gene therapy. We compared the bioelectric properties of isolated OE from the nasal cavity and CE from the nasopharynx in Ussing chamber studies. Hyperabsorption of Na⁺ (amiloride response; CF vs. WT) was ~ 7.5 fold greater in the OE compared to the CE. The forskolin response in native tissues did not reliably distinguish genotypes, likely due to a cyclic nucleotide-gated cation conductance in OE and a calcium-mediated Cl^- conductance in CE. By PD assay, hyperabsorption of Na⁺ (CF vs WT) and the difference in response to apical 0 Cl^- buffer (CF vs. WT) were ~ 2-fold greater in the nasal cavity compared to the nasopharynx. Our studies demonstrate that in the CF mouse, both the hyperabsorption of Na⁺ and the Cl^- transport defect are of larger magnitude in the OE than in the CE. Thus, while the murine CF nasal epithelium is a valuable model for CF studies, the bioelectrics are likely dominated by the signals from the OE, and assays of the nasopharynx may be more specific for studying the ciliated epithelium.