Noise Levels in 20152, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across 20152
Quiet office to normal conversation
12,220
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
38% of 20152 residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 20152 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 12,220 20152 residents, or 37.9%, live above that level. By land area, 41.9% of 20152 is above 55 dBA.
58.1% below 55 dBA
41.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 20152 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 20152
Average noise levels for 20152 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 20152. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 20152; the lowest is in southwestern 20152, where just 18% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 20152
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 20152
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 20152
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 20152
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 20152
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 20152 sounds about 49% louder than in southwestern 20152, a 5.8 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 70 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
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 26% of 20152 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 41% 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
Washington Dulles International (IAD) sits northeast of 20152. 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 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 20152, 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 20152
The bar chart below shows the share of 20152 residents in each noise band. About 43% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 11% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 20152 Compares
20152 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 20152's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 20105, 20155, 20120, and 22033.
Average noise level (dBA)
20152's 54.7 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Virginia as a whole averages 52.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 20152 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 37.9% of 20152 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, 41.9% of 20152's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Virginia average of 30.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 20152
- 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 26% of 20152 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is medium-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. Washington Dulles International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
