Noise Levels in 21017, MD | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across 21017
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,261
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
20% of 21017 residents
77 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 21017 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 1,261 21017 residents, or 19.7%, live above that level. By land area, 41.0% of 21017 is above 55 dBA.
59.0% below 55 dBA
41.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 21017 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 21017
Average noise levels for 21017 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 21017. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 21017; the lowest is in northern 21017, where just 25% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 21017
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 21017
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 21017
55.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 21017
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 21017
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 21017 sounds about 42% louder than in northern 21017, a 5.1 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 I-95 do you need to be?
I-95 produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 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 29% of 21017 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 42% 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 21017. 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
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) sits southwest of 21017. 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 21017, 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 21017
The bar chart below shows the share of 21017 residents in each noise band. About 90% 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 21017 Compares
21017 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 21017's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 21904, 21087, 21154, and 21903.
Average noise level (dBA)
21017's 51.2 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Maryland as a whole averages 52.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 21017 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 19.7% of 21017 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, 41.0% of 21017's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Maryland average of 32.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 21017
- 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 I-95 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 29% of 21017 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. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
