Noise Levels in 06119, CT | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 06119
Quiet office to normal conversation
3,523
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
26% of 06119 residents
80 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 06119 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 3,523 06119 residents, or 25.8%, live above that level. By land area, 27.8% of 06119 is above 55 dBA.
72.2% below 55 dBA
27.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 06119 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 06119
Average noise levels for 06119 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 06119. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 06119; the lowest is in northern 06119, where just 12% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 06119
62.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern 06119
61.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 06119
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 06119
51.4 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 06119
50.8 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 06119 sounds about 130% louder than in northern 06119, a 12.0 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 80 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 suburban street at night.
At source
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
67 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
60 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
¼ mile
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 36% of 06119 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 29% 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
Bradley International (BDL) sits north of 06119. 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 06119, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 06119
The bar chart below shows the share of 06119 residents in each noise band. About 70% 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 06119 Compares
06119 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 06119's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 06105, 06110, 06120, and 06107.
Average noise level (dBA)
06119's 53.1 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Connecticut as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 06119 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 25.8% of 06119 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, 27.8% of 06119's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Connecticut average of 27.3% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 06119
- 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 36% of 06119 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 north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
