Noise Levels in 97218, OR | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 97218
Quiet office to normal conversation
5,482
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
42% of 97218 residents
92 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 97218 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 5,482 97218 residents, or 42.4%, live above that level. By land area, 47.4% of 97218 is above 55 dBA.
52.6% below 55 dBA
47.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 97218 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 97218
Average noise levels for 97218 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 97218. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 97218; the lowest is in western 97218, where just 28% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 97218
63.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 97218
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 97218
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 97218
53.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 97218
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 97218 sounds about 104% louder than in western 97218, a 10.3 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 US Route 30BY do you need to be?
US Route 30BY produces an estimated 66 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
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 24% of 97218 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 48% 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 97218. 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
Portland International (PDX) sits north of 97218. 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 90 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 97218, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 97218
The bar chart below shows the share of 97218 residents in each noise band. About 60% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 97218 Compares
97218 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 97218's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 97215, 97201, 97216, and 97232.
Average noise level (dBA)
97218's 53.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Oregon as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 97218 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 42.4% of 97218 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, 47.4% of 97218's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Oregon average of 24.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 97218
- 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 Route 30BY 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 24% of 97218 is under tree cover (about average for 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.
- Airport noise is directional. Portland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
