Noise Levels in 38362, TN | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
47 dBA
Average noise across 38362
Quiet office
25
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
2% of 38362 residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 38362 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 25 38362 residents, or 2.4%, live above that level. By land area, 1.5% of 38362 is above 55 dBA.
98.5% below 55 dBA
1.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 38362 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 38362
Average noise levels for 38362 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 38362. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 38362; the lowest is in northeastern 38362, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southern 38362
56.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 38362
44.6 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Northeastern 38362
43.4 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in southern 38362 sounds about 155% louder than in northeastern 38362, a 13.5 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 A124 do you need to be?
A124 produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 21% of 38362 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 5% 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 38362. 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 38362
The bar chart below shows the share of 38362 residents in each noise band. About 94% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 38362 Compares
38362 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 38362's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 38337, 38348, 38391, and 38258.
Average noise level (dBA)
38362's 47.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Tennessee as a whole averages 49.2 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 38362 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 2.4% of 38362 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, 1.5% of 38362's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Tennessee average of 18.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 38362
- 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 A124 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 21% of 38362 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is cultivated cropland. 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.
