Noise Levels in 22203, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across 22203
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
11,277
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
54% of 22203 residents
74 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 22203 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 11,277 22203 residents, or 53.5%, live above that level. By land area, 65.4% of 22203 is above 55 dBA.
34.6% below 55 dBA
65.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 22203 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 22203
Average noise levels for 22203 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 22203. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 22203; the lowest is in northeastern 22203, where just 54% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 22203
64.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern 22203
63.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 22203
60.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 22203
58.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 22203
58.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 22203 sounds about 57% louder than in northeastern 22203, a 6.5 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 N George Mason Dr do you need to be?
N George Mason Dr produces an estimated 62 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
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 15% of 22203 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 64% 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
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) sits southeast of 22203. 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 22203, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 22203
The bar chart below shows the share of 22203 residents in each noise band. About 26% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 29% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 22203 Compares
22203 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 22203's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 22043, 22311, 22206, and 22041.
Average noise level (dBA)
22203's 57.5 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 22203 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 53.5% of 22203 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, 65.4% of 22203'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 22203
- 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 N George Mason Dr 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 15% of 22203 is under tree cover (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. Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
