Noise Levels in 22193, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across 22193
Quiet office to normal conversation
25,039
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
32% of 22193 residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 22193 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 25,039 22193 residents, or 32.1%, live above that level. By land area, 40.9% of 22193 is above 55 dBA.
59.1% below 55 dBA
40.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 22193 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 22193
Average noise levels for 22193 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 22193. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 22193; the lowest is in central 22193, where just 15% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northern 22193
57.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 22193
57.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 22193
55.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 22193
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 22193
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 22193 sounds about 29% louder than in central 22193, a 3.7 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 79 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 40% of 22193 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 32% 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 north of 22193. 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 22193, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 22193
The bar chart below shows the share of 22193 residents in each noise band. About 40% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 7% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 22193 Compares
22193 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 22193's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 22191, 22192, 22554, and 22003.
Average noise level (dBA)
22193's 55.1 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 22193 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 32.1% of 22193 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, 40.9% of 22193'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 22193
- 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 40% of 22193 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. Washington Dulles International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
