Noise Levels in 28159, NC | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 28159
Quiet office to normal conversation
951
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
32% of 28159 residents
73 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 28159 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 951 28159 residents, or 32.5%, live above that level. By land area, 32.4% of 28159 is above 55 dBA.
67.6% below 55 dBA
32.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 28159 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 28159
Average noise levels for 28159 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 28159. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern 28159; the lowest is in central 28159, where just 27% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern 28159
58.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 28159
57.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 28159
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 28159
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northeastern 28159 sounds about 34% louder than in central 28159, a 4.2 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 US-29 do you need to be?
US-29 produces an estimated 60 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
60 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
40 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 45% of 28159 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 16% 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 28159. 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 28159
The bar chart below shows the share of 28159 residents in each noise band. About 73% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 28159 Compares
28159 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 28159's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 28071, 27054, 28088, and 28137.
Average noise level (dBA)
28159's 53.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. North Carolina as a whole averages 49.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 28159 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 32.5% of 28159 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, 32.4% of 28159's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a North Carolina average of 22.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 28159
- 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 US-29 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 45% of 28159 is under tree cover (heavier than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-density developed open space. 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.
