Noise Levels in 10026, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
60 dBA
Average noise across 10026
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
25,921
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
89% of 10026 residents
68 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 10026 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 25,921 10026 residents, or 88.9%, live above that level. By land area, 92.1% of 10026 is above 55 dBA.
7.9% below 55 dBA
92.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 10026 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 10026
Average noise levels for 10026 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 10026. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 10026; the lowest is in western 10026, where just 100% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 10026
62.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Eastern 10026
62.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 10026
60.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 10026
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 10026
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 10026 sounds about 33% louder than in western 10026, a 4.1 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 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
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 2% of 10026 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 80% 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 east of 10026. 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 10026, 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 10026
The bar chart below shows the share of 10026 residents in each noise band. About 7% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 68% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 10026 Compares
10026 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 10026's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 10035, 10030, 10065, and 10022.
Average noise level (dBA)
10026's 60.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest 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 10026 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 88.9% of 10026 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 92.1% of 10026'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 10026
- 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 2% of 10026 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 east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
