Noise Levels in 19122, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
61 dBA
Average noise across 19122
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
16,563
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
89% of 19122 residents
77 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 19122 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 16,563 19122 residents, or 89.4%, live above that level. By land area, 95.0% of 19122 is above 55 dBA.
5.0% below 55 dBA
95.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 19122 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 19122
Average noise levels for 19122 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 19122. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 19122; the lowest is in western 19122, where just 85% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southern 19122
64.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northern 19122
64.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 19122
63.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern 19122
61.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 19122
60.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southern 19122 sounds about 37% louder than in western 19122, a 4.5 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 G001 Fifth St do you need to be?
G001 Fifth St produces an estimated 60 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
60 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 4% of 19122 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 77% 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 19122. 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 southwest of 19122. 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 19122, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 19122
The bar chart below shows the share of 19122 residents in each noise band. About 7% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 59% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 19122 Compares
19122 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 19122's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 19130, 19132, 19103, and 19147.
Average noise level (dBA)
19122's 60.6 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 19122 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 89.4% of 19122 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 95.0% of 19122'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 19122
- 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 G001 Fifth St 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 4% of 19122 is under tree cover (much lighter than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is high-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 southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
