Noise Levels in 00917, PR | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across 00917
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
8,271
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
62% of 00917 residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 00917 at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 8,271 00917 residents, or 62.5%, live above that level. By land area, 68.9% of 00917 is above 55 dBA.
31.1% below 55 dBA
68.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 00917 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 00917
Average noise levels for 00917 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 00917. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 00917; the lowest is in northern 00917, where just 55% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 00917
61.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 00917
61.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 00917
59.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 00917
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 00917
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 00917 sounds about 51% louder than in northern 00917, a 5.9 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from do you need to be?
produces an estimated 76 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 00917 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 0% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
-->
Airport Noise
Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU) sits east of 00917. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 00917, particularly to the west, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 00917
The bar chart below shows the share of 00917 residents in each noise band. About 44% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 26% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 00917 Compares
00917 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 00917's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 00979, 00907, 00927, and 00920.
Average noise level (dBA)
00917's 56.8 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Puerto Rico as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 00917 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 62.5% of 00917 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 68.9% of 00917's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Puerto Rico average of 36.1% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 00917
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 0% of 00917 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is . Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. Luis Munoz Marin International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
