Noise Levels in Babcock, Buffalo, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
62 dBA
Average noise across Babcock
Busy restaurant
2,488
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
75% of Babcock residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Babcock 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 2,488 Babcock residents, or 75.1%, live above that level. By land area, 70.1% of Babcock is above 55 dBA.
29.9% below 55 dBA
70.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Babcock compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Babcock
Average noise levels for Babcock residents, grouped by direction from the center of Babcock. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Babcock; the lowest is in eastern Babcock, where just 39% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Babcock
67.5 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southern Babcock
66.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northern Babcock
65.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Babcock
60.5 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Babcock
58.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Babcock sounds about 82% louder than in eastern Babcock, a 8.6 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 I-190 do you need to be?
I-190 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
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 8% of Babcock sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 66% 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 Babcock. 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
Buffalo Niagara International (BUF) sits northeast of Babcock. 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 Babcock, 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 Babcock
The bar chart below shows the share of Babcock residents in each noise band. About 8% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 48% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Babcock Compares
Babcock sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Babcock's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Larkinville, Seneca, Willert Park, and Mlk Park.
Average noise level (dBA)
Babcock's 61.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. New York as a whole averages 55.4 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Babcock because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 75.1% of Babcock 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, 70.1% of Babcock's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New York average of 30.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Babcock
- 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 I-190 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 8% of Babcock is under tree cover (lighter than most neighborhoods), 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. Buffalo Niagara International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
