Noise Levels in 10923, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 10923
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,624
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
20% of 10923 residents
67 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 10923 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 1,624 10923 residents, or 20.0%, live above that level. By land area, 21.8% of 10923 is above 55 dBA.
78.2% below 55 dBA
21.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 10923 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 10923
Average noise levels for 10923 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 10923. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 10923; the lowest is in northwestern 10923, where just 9% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 10923
56.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 10923
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 10923
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 10923
52.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 10923
51.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in eastern 10923 sounds about 45% louder than in northwestern 10923, a 5.4 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 Central Hwy do you need to be?
Central Hwy 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
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
37 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 39% of 10923 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 31% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Laguardia (LGA) sits south of 10923. 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 10923, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 10923
The bar chart below shows the share of 10923 residents in each noise band. About 58% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 2% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 10923 Compares
10923 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 10923's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 10920, 10927, 10970, and 10989.
Average noise level (dBA)
10923's 53.2 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. New York as a whole averages 55.4 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 10923 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 20.0% of 10923 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, 21.8% of 10923'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 10923
- 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 Central Hwy 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 39% of 10923 is under tree cover (heavier than most 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. Laguardia's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
