Noise Levels in Central Bench, Boise, ID | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across Central Bench
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,024
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
19% of Central Bench residents
61 dBA
Loudest residential point
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Central Bench 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 1,024 Central Bench residents, or 18.8%, live above that level. By land area, 19.2% of Central Bench is above 55 dBA.
80.8% below 55 dBA
19.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Central Bench compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Central Bench
Average noise levels for Central Bench residents, grouped by direction from the center of Central Bench. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern Central Bench; the lowest is in southeastern Central Bench, where just 12% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern Central Bench
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern Central Bench
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Central Bench
52.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern Central Bench
52.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Central Bench
51.0 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northeastern Central Bench sounds about 17% louder than in southeastern Central Bench, a 2.3 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 61 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
61 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
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 9% of Central Bench sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 46% 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
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field (BOI) sits southeast of Central Bench. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Central Bench, 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 Central Bench
The bar chart below shows the share of Central Bench residents in each noise band. About 96% 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 Central Bench Compares
Central Bench sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Central Bench's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with East End, Depot Bench, Veterans Park, and Winstead Park.
Average noise level (dBA)
Central Bench's 51.1 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Idaho as a whole averages 50.6 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Central Bench because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 18.8% of Central Bench 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, 19.2% of Central Bench's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Idaho average of 17.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Central Bench
- 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 9% of Central Bench is under tree cover (lighter than most neighborhoods), 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. Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
