Noise Levels in 19706, DE | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
47 dBA
Average noise across 19706
Quiet office
413
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
25% of 19706 residents
63 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 19706 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 413 19706 residents, or 25.0%, live above that level. By land area, 29.8% of 19706 is above 55 dBA.
70.2% below 55 dBA
29.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 19706 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 19706
Average noise levels for 19706 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 19706. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 19706; the lowest is in southern 19706, where just 7% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northern 19706
49.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Central 19706
49.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southern 19706
48.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northern 19706 sounds about 10% louder than in southern 19706, a 1.4 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 Sr9n do you need to be?
Sr9n produces an estimated 59 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
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
46 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
39 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 38% of 19706 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 25% 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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Airport Noise
Philadelphia International (PHL) sits northeast of 19706. 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 19706, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 19706
The bar chart below shows the share of 19706 residents in each noise band. About 77% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 19706 Compares
19706 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 19706's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 19716, 19730, 19964, and 19717.
Average noise level (dBA)
19706's 47.4 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Delaware as a whole averages 53.5 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 19706 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 25.0% of 19706 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, 29.8% of 19706's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Delaware average of 38.3% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 19706
- 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 Sr9n 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 38% of 19706 is under tree cover (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.
- Airport noise is directional. Philadelphia International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
