Noise Levels in 99506, AK | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 99506
Quiet office to normal conversation
589
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
24% of 99506 residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 99506 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 589 99506 residents, or 23.5%, live above that level. By land area, 29.0% of 99506 is above 55 dBA.
71.0% below 55 dBA
29.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 99506 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 99506
Average noise levels for 99506 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 99506. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 99506; the lowest is in western 99506, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 99506
51.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 99506
50.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southeastern 99506
50.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Western 99506
50.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in eastern 99506 sounds about 11% louder than in western 99506, a 1.5 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 A1 do you need to be?
A1 produces an estimated 77 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
77 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 99506 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 0% 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
Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC) sits southwest of 99506. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 99506, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 99506
The bar chart below shows the share of 99506 residents in each noise band. About 73% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 27% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 99506 Compares
99506 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 99506's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 99503, 99501, 99517, and 99518.
Average noise level (dBA)
99506's 53.3 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Alaska as a whole averages 46.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 99506 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 23.5% of 99506 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, 29.0% of 99506's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Alaska average of 11.4% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 99506
- 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 A1 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 0% of 99506 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is . 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. Ted Stevens Anchorage International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
