Noise Levels in 06853, CT | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across 06853
Quiet office to normal conversation
479
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
16% of 06853 residents
62 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 06853 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 479 06853 residents, or 16.3%, live above that level. By land area, 14.3% of 06853 is above 55 dBA.
85.7% below 55 dBA
14.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 06853 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 06853
Average noise levels for 06853 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 06853. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 06853; the lowest is in southwestern 06853, where just 5% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Northern 06853
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 06853
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 06853
50.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southern 06853
46.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southwestern 06853
46.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northern 06853 sounds about 71% louder than in southwestern 06853, a 7.7 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 Rowayton Av No 1 do you need to be?
Rowayton Av No 1 produces an estimated 54 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
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 48% of 06853 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 24% 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 06853. 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
Laguardia (LGA) sits southwest of 06853. 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 06853, 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 06853
The bar chart below shows the share of 06853 residents in each noise band. About 92% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 06853 Compares
06853 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 06853's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 06890, 06807, 06855, and 06870.
Average noise level (dBA)
06853's 51.6 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 06853 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 16.3% of 06853 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, 14.3% of 06853'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 06853
- 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 Rowayton Av No 1 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 06853 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. Laguardia's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
