Noise Levels in Downtown, Manchester, NH | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
59 dBA
Average noise across Downtown
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
2,602
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
77% of Downtown residents
69 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Downtown 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 2,602 Downtown residents, or 76.9%, live above that level. By land area, 78.5% of Downtown is above 55 dBA.
21.5% below 55 dBA
78.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Downtown compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Downtown
Average noise levels for Downtown residents, grouped by direction from the center of Downtown. The highest population-weighted average is in central Downtown; the lowest is in southeastern Downtown, where just 47% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Central Downtown
59.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern Downtown
59.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Downtown
59.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern Downtown
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in central Downtown sounds about 21% louder than in southeastern Downtown, a 2.7 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 Canal St do you need to be?
Canal St produces an estimated 60 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
60 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
37 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 3% of Downtown sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 83% 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
Manchester Boston Regional (MHT) sits south of Downtown. 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 Downtown, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Downtown
The bar chart below shows the share of Downtown residents in each noise band. About 12% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 40% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Downtown Compares
Downtown sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how Downtown's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Highlands, Hallsville, Youngsville, and Kalivas Union.
Average noise level (dBA)
Downtown's 59.0 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. New Hampshire as a whole averages 48.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Downtown because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 76.9% of Downtown 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, 78.5% of Downtown's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New Hampshire average of 18.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Downtown
- 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 Canal St 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 3% of Downtown is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is high-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. Manchester Boston Regional's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
