Noise Levels in 22840, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
46 dBA
Average noise across 22840
Quiet office
290
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
8% of 22840 residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 22840 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 290 22840 residents, or 7.7%, live above that level. By land area, 19.0% of 22840 is above 55 dBA.
81.0% below 55 dBA
19.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 22840 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 22840
Average noise levels for 22840 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 22840. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern 22840; the lowest is in northern 22840, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern 22840
56.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 22840
50.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southern 22840
48.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southwestern 22840
47.3 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northern 22840
44.3 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in northeastern 22840 sounds about 128% louder than in northern 22840, a 11.9 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 84 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 office to normal conversation.
At source
84 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
165 ft
74 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
68 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
660 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
¼ mile
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
½ mile
50 dBA
Quiet office
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 38% of 22840 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 7% 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 22840. 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 22840
The bar chart below shows the share of 22840 residents in each noise band. About 94% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 22840 Compares
22840 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 22840's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 22807, 24486, 22849, and 22841.
Average noise level (dBA)
22840's 46.1 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Virginia as a whole averages 52.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 22840 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 7.7% of 22840 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 19.0% of 22840'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 22840
- 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 38% of 22840 is under tree cover (heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is deciduous forest. 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.
