Noise Levels in 01749, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 01749
Quiet office to normal conversation
5,377
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
30% of 01749 residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 01749 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 5,377 01749 residents, or 29.8%, live above that level. By land area, 34.1% of 01749 is above 55 dBA.
65.9% below 55 dBA
34.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 01749 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 01749
Average noise levels for 01749 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 01749. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 01749; the lowest is in eastern 01749, where just 11% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 01749
61.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 01749
57.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 01749
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern 01749
51.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 01749
50.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 01749 sounds about 113% louder than in eastern 01749, a 10.9 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 82 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 quiet office.
At source
82 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
165 ft
71 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
¼ mile
50 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 48% of 01749 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 26% 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
General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS) sits east of 01749. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 01749, 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 01749
The bar chart below shows the share of 01749 residents in each noise band. About 68% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 2% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 01749 Compares
01749 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 01749's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 01776, 01721, 01742, and 01748.
Average noise level (dBA)
01749's 53.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Massachusetts as a whole averages 54.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 01749 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 29.8% of 01749 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 34.1% of 01749'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 01749
- 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 01749 is under tree cover (heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-intensity developed land. 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. General Edward Lawrence Logan International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
