Noise Levels in 13603, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 13603
Quiet office
692
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
8% of 13603 residents
63 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 13603 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 692 13603 residents, or 7.7%, live above that level. By land area, 13.9% of 13603 is above 55 dBA.
86.1% below 55 dBA
13.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 13603 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 13603
Average noise levels for 13603 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 13603. The highest population-weighted average is in western 13603; the lowest is in northern 13603, where just 3% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Western 13603
50.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southeastern 13603
49.8 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northwestern 13603
49.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Eastern 13603
47.6 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northern 13603
47.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in western 13603 sounds about 21% louder than in northern 13603, a 2.7 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 63 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
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
40 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 21% of 13603 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 38% 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 13603. 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 13603
The bar chart below shows the share of 13603 residents in each noise band. About 96% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 13603 Compares
13603 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 13603's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 13619, 13602, 13637, and 13367.
Average noise level (dBA)
13603's 49.7 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 13603 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 7.7% of 13603 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, 13.9% of 13603'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 13603
- 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 21% of 13603 is under tree cover (about average for 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.
