Noise Levels in 06615, CT | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 06615
Quiet office to normal conversation
7,852
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
49% of 06615 residents
85 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 06615 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 7,852 06615 residents, or 49.2%, live above that level. By land area, 54.7% of 06615 is above 55 dBA.
45.3% below 55 dBA
54.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 06615 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 06615
Average noise levels for 06615 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 06615. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 06615; the lowest is in eastern 06615, where just 24% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 06615
64.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 06615
62.3 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 06615
59.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 06615
53.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 06615
52.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 06615 sounds about 133% louder than in eastern 06615, a 12.2 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 I-95 do you need to be?
I-95 produces an estimated 78 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
78 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 27% of 06615 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 46% 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 06615. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 06615
The bar chart below shows the share of 06615 residents in each noise band. About 50% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 11% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 06615 Compares
06615 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 06615's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 06610, 06461, 06825, and 06401.
Average noise level (dBA)
06615's 55.7 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Connecticut as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 06615 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 49.2% of 06615 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, 54.7% of 06615'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 06615
- 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-95 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 27% of 06615 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is medium-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.
