Noise Levels in 02038, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 02038
Quiet office to normal conversation
8,150
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
27% of 02038 residents
99 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 02038 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 8,150 02038 residents, or 26.8%, live above that level. By land area, 36.5% of 02038 is above 55 dBA.
63.5% below 55 dBA
36.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 02038 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 02038
Average noise levels for 02038 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 02038. The highest population-weighted average is in western 02038; the lowest is in northern 02038, where just 9% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Western 02038
67.1 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern 02038
61.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 02038
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 02038
52.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 02038
49.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in western 02038 sounds about 246% louder than in northern 02038, a 17.9 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 I-495 do you need to be?
I-495 produces an estimated 77 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
77 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 58% of 02038 sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 17% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 02038. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
Airport Noise
General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS) sits northeast of 02038. 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 02038, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 02038
The bar chart below shows the share of 02038 residents in each noise band. About 70% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 9% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 02038 Compares
02038 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 02038's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 01757, 02760, 02895, and 02062.
Average noise level (dBA)
02038's 53.4 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 02038 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 26.8% of 02038 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, 36.5% of 02038'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 02038
- 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 I-495 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 58% of 02038 is under tree cover (much 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. General Edward Lawrence Logan International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
