Noise Levels in Andrews AFB, MD | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
47 dBA
Average noise across Andrews AFB
Quiet office
379
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
14% of Andrews AFB residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Andrews AFB 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 379 Andrews AFB residents, or 13.5%, live above that level. By land area, 18.7% of Andrews AFB is above 55 dBA.
81.3% below 55 dBA
18.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Andrews AFB compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Andrews AFB
Average noise levels for Andrews AFB residents, grouped by direction from the center of Andrews AFB. The highest population-weighted average is in western Andrews AFB; the lowest is in central Andrews AFB, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Western Andrews AFB
62.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Andrews AFB
57.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Andrews AFB
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Andrews AFB
43.4 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in western Andrews AFB sounds about 263% louder than in central Andrews AFB, a 18.6 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 76 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
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 11% of Andrews AFB sits under tree canopy (lighter than most cities) and roughly 36% 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
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) sits northwest of Andrews AFB. 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 70 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Andrews AFB, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Andrews AFB
The bar chart below shows the share of Andrews AFB residents in each noise band. About 76% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Andrews AFB Compares
Andrews AFB sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Andrews AFB's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Morningside, Brentwood, Seat Pleasant, and Forest Heights.
Average noise level (dBA)
Andrews AFB's 47.1 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Maryland as a whole averages 52.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Andrews AFB because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 13.5% of Andrews AFB 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, 18.7% of Andrews AFB's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Maryland average of 32.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Andrews AFB
- 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 11% of Andrews AFB is under tree cover (lighter than most cities), 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. Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
