Noise Levels in 12944, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 12944
Quiet office
506
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
14% of 12944 residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 12944 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 506 12944 residents, or 13.5%, live above that level. By land area, 17.2% of 12944 is above 55 dBA.
82.8% below 55 dBA
17.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 12944 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 12944
Average noise levels for 12944 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 12944. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 12944; the lowest is in northeastern 12944, where just 3% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 12944
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 12944
56.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 12944
48.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Eastern 12944
48.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northeastern 12944
47.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northern 12944 sounds about 117% louder than in northeastern 12944, a 11.2 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 Adirondack Northway do you need to be?
Adirondack Northway produces an estimated 73 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
73 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
61 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 44% of 12944 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 12% 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 12944. 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 12944
The bar chart below shows the share of 12944 residents in each noise band. About 77% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 12944 Compares
12944 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 12944's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 12972, 12962, 12929, and 12992.
Average noise level (dBA)
12944's 49.5 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 12944 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 13.5% of 12944 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, 17.2% of 12944'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 12944
- 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 Adirondack Northway 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 44% of 12944 is under tree cover (heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-density developed open space. 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.
