Noise Levels in 23030, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
41 dBA
Average noise across 23030
Soft rainfall
126
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
3% of 23030 residents
93 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 23030 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 126 23030 residents, or 2.7%, live above that level. By land area, 4.9% of 23030 is above 55 dBA.
95.1% below 55 dBA
4.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 23030 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 23030
Average noise levels for 23030 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 23030. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 23030; the lowest is in eastern 23030, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 23030
52.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 23030
44.4 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southwestern 23030
42.1 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southeastern 23030
39.9 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Eastern 23030
39.5 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 23030 sounds about 150% louder than in eastern 23030, a 13.2 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 93 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
93 dBA
Power saw
165 ft
79 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
71 dBA
City bus interior
660 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
¼ mile
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
½ mile
48 dBA
Quiet office
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 54% of 23030 sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 1% 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 23030. 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
Richmond International (RIC) sits northwest of 23030. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 23030, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 23030
The bar chart below shows the share of 23030 residents in each noise band. About 100% 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 23030 Compares
23030 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 23030's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 23124, 23140, 23089, and 23181.
Average noise level (dBA)
23030's 41.0 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 23030 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 2.7% of 23030 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, 4.9% of 23030'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 23030
- 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 54% of 23030 is under tree cover (much heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is mixed 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.
- Airport noise is directional. Richmond International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
