Noise Levels in 98337, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 98337
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,961
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
61% of 98337 residents
68 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 98337 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 2,961 98337 residents, or 61.1%, live above that level. By land area, 60.8% of 98337 is above 55 dBA.
39.2% below 55 dBA
60.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 98337 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 98337
Average noise levels for 98337 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 98337. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 98337; the lowest is in southwestern 98337, where just 45% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 98337
58.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 98337
56.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 98337
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 98337
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 98337
48.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 98337 sounds about 100% louder than in southwestern 98337, a 10.0 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 6TH St do you need to be?
6TH St produces an estimated 58 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
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
38 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 18% of 98337 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 64% 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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Airport Noise
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) sits southeast of 98337. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 98337, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 98337
The bar chart below shows the share of 98337 residents in each noise band. About 37% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 98337 Compares
98337 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 98337's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 98380, 98359, 98365, and 98349.
Average noise level (dBA)
98337's 55.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 98337 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 61.1% of 98337 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, 60.8% of 98337's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Washington average of 27.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 98337
- 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 6TH St 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 18% of 98337 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. Seattle-Tacoma International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
