Noise Levels in Broadmoor, New Orleans, LA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across Broadmoor
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,332
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
76% of Broadmoor residents
72 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Broadmoor 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 3,332 Broadmoor residents, or 76.3%, live above that level. By land area, 71.2% of Broadmoor is above 55 dBA.
28.8% below 55 dBA
71.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Broadmoor compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Broadmoor
Average noise levels for Broadmoor residents, grouped by direction from the center of Broadmoor. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Broadmoor; the lowest is in northern Broadmoor, where just 58% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Broadmoor
64.3 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Broadmoor
62.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central Broadmoor
58.5 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern Broadmoor
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Broadmoor
58.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Broadmoor sounds about 55% louder than in northern Broadmoor, a 6.3 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 Napoleon Ave do you need to be?
Napoleon Ave produces an estimated 62 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
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
39 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 7% of Broadmoor sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 54% 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
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) sits west of Broadmoor. 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 Broadmoor, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Broadmoor
The bar chart below shows the share of Broadmoor residents in each noise band. About 17% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 31% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Broadmoor Compares
Broadmoor sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Broadmoor's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Milan, Holly Grove, Fairgrounds, and Marlyville.
Average noise level (dBA)
Broadmoor's 58.0 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Louisiana as a whole averages 50.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Broadmoor because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 76.3% of Broadmoor residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 71.2% of Broadmoor's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Louisiana average of 28.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Broadmoor
- 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 Napoleon Ave 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 7% of Broadmoor 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. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
