Noise Levels in 01036, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
46 dBA
Average noise across 01036
Quiet suburban street at night
287
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
6% of 01036 residents
62 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 01036 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 287 01036 residents, or 5.8%, live above that level. By land area, 9.2% of 01036 is above 55 dBA.
90.8% below 55 dBA
9.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 01036 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 01036
Average noise levels for 01036 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 01036. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 01036; the lowest is in southeastern 01036, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 01036
48.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Western 01036
47.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northeastern 01036
45.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southern 01036
44.3 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southeastern 01036
44.3 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 01036 sounds about 34% louder than in southeastern 01036, a 4.2 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 62 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
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 67% of 01036 sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 3% 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.
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Airport Noise
Bradley International (BDL) sits southwest of 01036. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 01036, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 01036
The bar chart below shows the share of 01036 residents in each noise band. About 99% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 01036 Compares
01036 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 01036's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 01129, 01057, 01033, and 01035.
Average noise level (dBA)
01036's 45.6 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Massachusetts as a whole averages 54.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 01036 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 5.8% of 01036 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 9.2% of 01036's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Massachusetts average of 40.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 01036
- 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 67% of 01036 is under tree cover (much heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is deciduous forest. 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. Bradley International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
