Noise Levels in 12520, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 12520
Quiet office to normal conversation
657
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
22% of 12520 residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 12520 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 657 12520 residents, or 22.3%, live above that level. By land area, 30.2% of 12520 is above 55 dBA.
69.8% below 55 dBA
30.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 12520 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 12520
Average noise levels for 12520 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 12520. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 12520; the lowest is in central 12520, where just 11% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 12520
57.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 12520
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 12520
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 12520
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 12520
51.4 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 12520 sounds about 49% louder than in central 12520, a 5.8 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 Storm King Hwy Ny 218 do you need to be?
Storm King Hwy Ny 218 produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 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 52% of 12520 sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 18% 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 12520. 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 12520
The bar chart below shows the share of 12520 residents in each noise band. About 64% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 4% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 12520 Compares
12520 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 12520's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 10928, 10926, 12543, and 12575.
Average noise level (dBA)
12520's 52.7 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 12520 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 22.3% of 12520 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, 30.2% of 12520'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 12520
- 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 Storm King Hwy Ny 218 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 52% of 12520 is under tree cover (much 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.
