Noise Levels in 07980, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 07980
Quiet office to normal conversation
548
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
22% of 07980 residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 07980 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 548 07980 residents, or 22.2%, live above that level. By land area, 24.1% of 07980 is above 55 dBA.
75.9% below 55 dBA
24.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 07980 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 07980
Average noise levels for 07980 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 07980. The highest population-weighted average is in central 07980; the lowest is in northeastern 07980, where just 8% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Central 07980
66.5 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern 07980
65.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern 07980
64.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northern 07980
53.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 07980
53.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central 07980 sounds about 146% louder than in northeastern 07980, a 13.0 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 Morris County 657 do you need to be?
Morris County 657 produces an estimated 58 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
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
43 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 57% of 07980 sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 13% 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 07980. 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
Newark Liberty International (EWR) sits east of 07980. 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 07980, particularly to the west, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 07980
The bar chart below shows the share of 07980 residents in each noise band. About 63% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 13% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 07980 Compares
07980 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 07980's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 07933, 07931, 07946, and 08836.
Average noise level (dBA)
07980's 52.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. New Jersey as a whole averages 49.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 07980 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 22.2% of 07980 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, 24.1% of 07980'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 07980
- 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 Morris County 657 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 57% of 07980 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. Newark Liberty International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
