Noise Levels in 53726, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across 53726
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,510
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
76% of 53726 residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 53726 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 3,510 53726 residents, or 75.7%, live above that level. By land area, 68.7% of 53726 is above 55 dBA.
31.3% below 55 dBA
68.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 53726 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 53726
Average noise levels for 53726 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 53726. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 53726; the lowest is in southwestern 53726, where just 38% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 53726
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 53726
58.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 53726
57.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 53726
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in eastern 53726 sounds about 35% louder than in southwestern 53726, a 4.3 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 70 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
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 25% of 53726 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 52% 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 53726. 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
Dane County Regional/Truax Field (MSN) sits northeast of 53726. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 53726, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 53726
The bar chart below shows the share of 53726 residents in each noise band. About 18% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 26% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 53726 Compares
53726 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 53726's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 53706, 53598, 53528, and 53508.
Average noise level (dBA)
53726's 57.7 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Wisconsin as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 53726 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 75.7% of 53726 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, 68.7% of 53726's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Wisconsin average of 29.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 53726
- 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 25% of 53726 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is medium-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.
- Airport noise is directional. Dane County Regional/Truax Field's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
