Noise Levels in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
61 dBA
Average noise across Downtown Syracuse
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
2,137
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
76% of Downtown Syracuse residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Downtown Syracuse 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 2,137 Downtown Syracuse residents, or 76.5%, live above that level. By land area, 83.7% of Downtown Syracuse is above 55 dBA.
16.3% below 55 dBA
83.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Downtown Syracuse compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Downtown Syracuse
Average noise levels for Downtown Syracuse residents, grouped by direction from the center of Downtown Syracuse. The highest population-weighted average is in northern Downtown Syracuse; the lowest is in northwestern Downtown Syracuse, where just 71% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Northern Downtown Syracuse
72.4 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Central Downtown Syracuse
65.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Downtown Syracuse
62.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
To the human ear, noise in northern Downtown Syracuse sounds about 93% louder than in northwestern Downtown Syracuse, a 9.5 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-690 do you need to be?
I-690 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
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 0% of Downtown Syracuse sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 88% 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
Syracuse Hancock International (SYR) sits northeast of Downtown Syracuse. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Downtown Syracuse, 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 Downtown Syracuse
The bar chart below shows the share of Downtown Syracuse residents in each noise band. About 3% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 54% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Downtown Syracuse Compares
Downtown Syracuse sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Downtown Syracuse's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Westside, Lincoln Park-Syracuse, Skunk City, and Galeville.
Average noise level (dBA)
Downtown Syracuse's 60.6 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 Downtown Syracuse because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 76.5% of Downtown Syracuse 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, 83.7% of Downtown Syracuse'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 Downtown Syracuse
- 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-690 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 0% of Downtown Syracuse 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. Syracuse Hancock International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
