Noise Levels in 22734, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across 22734
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,111
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
33% of 22734 residents
91 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 22734 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 1,111 22734 residents, or 32.7%, live above that level. By land area, 32.6% of 22734 is above 55 dBA.
67.4% below 55 dBA
32.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 22734 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 22734
Average noise levels for 22734 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 22734. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 22734; the lowest is in northwestern 22734, where just 7% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 22734
62.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 22734
62.3 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northern 22734
61.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern 22734
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 22734
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 22734 sounds about 101% louder than in northwestern 22734, a 10.1 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 91 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 normal conversation an arm’s length away.
At source
91 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
165 ft
79 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
72 dBA
City bus interior
660 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
¼ mile
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
½ mile
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 25% of 22734 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 10% 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 22734. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 22734
The bar chart below shows the share of 22734 residents in each noise band. About 41% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 22734 Compares
22734 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 22734's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 22728, 22737, 20119, and 22724.
Average noise level (dBA)
22734's 52.5 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Virginia as a whole averages 52.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 22734 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 32.7% of 22734 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 32.6% of 22734'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 22734
- 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 25% of 22734 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is pasture / hay. 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.
