Noise Levels in 19033, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across 19033
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
4,978
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
72% of 19033 residents
72 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 19033 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 4,978 19033 residents, or 71.6%, live above that level. By land area, 78.6% of 19033 is above 55 dBA.
21.4% below 55 dBA
78.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 19033 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 19033
Average noise levels for 19033 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 19033. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 19033; the lowest is in northern 19033, where just 50% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 19033
61.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 19033
60.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 19033
59.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 19033
58.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 19033
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in eastern 19033 sounds about 34% louder than in northern 19033, a 4.2 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 Macdade BL do you need to be?
Macdade BL produces an estimated 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 23% of 19033 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 43% 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 19033. 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.
Airport Noise
Philadelphia International (PHL) sits east of 19033. 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 19033, 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 19033
The bar chart below shows the share of 19033 residents in each noise band. About 22% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 29% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 19033 Compares
19033 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 19033's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 19070, 19079, 19076, and 19074.
Average noise level (dBA)
19033's 57.9 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 19033 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 71.6% of 19033 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 78.6% of 19033's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Pennsylvania average of 33.5% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 19033
- 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 Macdade BL 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 23% of 19033 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.
- Airport noise is directional. Philadelphia International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
