Noise Levels in 01129, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 01129
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,686
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
26% of 01129 residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 01129 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 1,686 01129 residents, or 26.4%, live above that level. By land area, 33.0% of 01129 is above 55 dBA.
67.0% below 55 dBA
33.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 01129 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 01129
Average noise levels for 01129 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 01129. The highest population-weighted average is in central 01129; the lowest is in southern 01129, where just 22% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Central 01129
55.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 01129
55.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 01129
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern 01129
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern 01129
52.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central 01129 sounds about 25% louder than in southern 01129, a 3.2 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 70 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
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 48% of 01129 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 22% 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 01129. 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 01129, 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 01129
The bar chart below shows the share of 01129 residents in each noise band. About 76% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 01129 Compares
01129 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 01129's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 01033, 01151, 01036, and 01073.
Average noise level (dBA)
01129's 52.6 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Massachusetts as a whole averages 54.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 01129 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 26.4% of 01129 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, 33.0% of 01129'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 01129
- 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 48% of 01129 is under tree cover (heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-density developed open space. 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.
