Noise Levels in 10003, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
63 dBA
Average noise across 10003
Busy restaurant
33,580
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
96% of 10003 residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 10003 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 33,580 10003 residents, or 95.8%, live above that level. By land area, 96.8% of 10003 is above 55 dBA.
3.2% below 55 dBA
96.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 10003 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 10003
Average noise levels for 10003 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 10003. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 10003; the lowest is in northwestern 10003, where just 93% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southern 10003
65.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 10003
65.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern 10003
63.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 10003
61.3 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 10003
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southern 10003 sounds about 42% louder than in northwestern 10003, a 5.1 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 76 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
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
61 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 10003 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 82% 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
Laguardia (LGA) sits northeast of 10003. 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 10003, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 10003
The bar chart below shows the share of 10003 residents in each noise band. About 3% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 73% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 10003 Compares
10003 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 10003's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 11222, 11231, 11217, and 11103.
Average noise level (dBA)
10003's 63.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. New York as a whole averages 55.4 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 10003 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 95.8% of 10003 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, 96.8% of 10003's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New York average of 30.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 10003
- 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 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 0% of 10003 is under tree cover (much lighter than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is high-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. Laguardia's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
