Noise Levels in 08609, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 08609
Quiet office to normal conversation
4,087
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
35% of 08609 residents
77 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 08609 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 4,087 08609 residents, or 34.8%, live above that level. By land area, 43.1% of 08609 is above 55 dBA.
56.9% below 55 dBA
43.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 08609 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 08609
Average noise levels for 08609 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 08609. The highest population-weighted average is in central 08609; the lowest is in southern 08609, where just 17% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Central 08609
63.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 08609
63.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern 08609
62.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 08609
56.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 08609
53.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central 08609 sounds about 95% louder than in southern 08609, a 9.6 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 33 do you need to be?
Nj 33 produces an estimated 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 14% of 08609 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 65% 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 08609. 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 08609
The bar chart below shows the share of 08609 residents in each noise band. About 58% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 16% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 08609 Compares
08609 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 08609's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 08620, 08628, 08534, and 08691.
Average noise level (dBA)
08609's 54.3 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder 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 08609 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 34.8% of 08609 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, 43.1% of 08609'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 08609
- 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 33 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 14% of 08609 is under tree cover (lighter than most 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.
