Noise Levels in 07440, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
44 dBA
Average noise across 07440
Quiet suburban street at night
252
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
6% of 07440 residents
60 dBA
Loudest residential point
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 07440 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 252 07440 residents, or 6.4%, live above that level. By land area, 6.4% of 07440 is above 55 dBA.
93.6% below 55 dBA
6.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 07440 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 07440
Average noise levels for 07440 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 07440. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 07440; the lowest is in central 07440, where just 8% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 07440
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 07440
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 07440
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 07440
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 07440
49.7 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in eastern 07440 sounds about 46% louder than in central 07440, a 5.5 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 Route 504 do you need to be?
Route 504 produces an estimated 60 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
60 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
40 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 38% of 07440 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 23% 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
Newark Liberty International (EWR) sits south of 07440. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 07440, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 07440
The bar chart below shows the share of 07440 residents in each noise band. About 94% 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 07440 Compares
07440 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 07440's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 07082, 07457, 07420, and 07465.
Average noise level (dBA)
07440's 44.4 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. New Jersey as a whole averages 49.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 07440 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 6.4% of 07440 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 6.4% of 07440's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New Jersey average of 25.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 07440
- 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 Route 504 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 38% of 07440 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. Newark Liberty International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
