Noise Levels in 08065, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
47 dBA
Average noise across 08065
Quiet office
882
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
18% of 08065 residents
72 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 08065 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 882 08065 residents, or 18.4%, live above that level. By land area, 28.7% of 08065 is above 55 dBA.
71.3% below 55 dBA
28.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 08065 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 08065
Average noise levels for 08065 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 08065. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 08065; the lowest is in central 08065, where just 20% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southern 08065
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 08065
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 08065
56.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 08065
54.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 08065
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern 08065 sounds about 23% louder than in central 08065, a 3.0 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 Nj 73 do you need to be?
Nj 73 produces an estimated 68 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
68 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 25% of 08065 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 42% 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 08065. 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
Philadelphia International (PHL) sits southwest of 08065. 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 08065, 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 08065
The bar chart below shows the share of 08065 residents in each noise band. About 80% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 08065 Compares
08065 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 08065's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 08007, 08083, 08059, and 08102.
Average noise level (dBA)
08065's 46.6 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest 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 08065 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 18.4% of 08065 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, 28.7% of 08065'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 08065
- 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 Nj 73 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 25% of 08065 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-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.
- Airport noise is directional. Philadelphia International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
