Noise Levels in 26159, WV | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 26159
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,343
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
63% of 26159 residents
71 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 26159 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 1,343 26159 residents, or 62.6%, live above that level. By land area, 65.7% of 26159 is above 55 dBA.
34.3% below 55 dBA
65.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 26159 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 26159
Average noise levels for 26159 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 26159. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern 26159; the lowest is in southwestern 26159, where just 4% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern 26159
52.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 26159
51.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 26159
47.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northeastern 26159 sounds about 48% louder than in southwestern 26159, a 5.7 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 Paden Fork Rd do you need to be?
Paden Fork Rd produces an estimated 54 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
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
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 14% of 26159 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 36% 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.
-->
Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 26159. 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 26159
The bar chart below shows the share of 26159 residents in each noise band. About 30% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 4% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 26159 Compares
26159 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 26159's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 26175, 26149, 26055, and 26038.
Average noise level (dBA)
26159's 55.7 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. West Virginia as a whole averages 47.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 26159 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 62.6% of 26159 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, 65.7% of 26159's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a West Virginia average of 21.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 26159
- 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 Paden Fork Rd 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 14% of 26159 is under tree cover (lighter 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.
