Noise Levels in First Hill, Seattle, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
61 dBA
Average noise across First Hill
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
11,311
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
91% of First Hill residents
80 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across First Hill 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 11,311 First Hill residents, or 90.8%, live above that level. By land area, 94.9% of First Hill is above 55 dBA.
5.1% below 55 dBA
94.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in First Hill compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of First Hill
Average noise levels for First Hill residents, grouped by direction from the center of First Hill. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern First Hill; the lowest is in eastern First Hill, where just 57% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern First Hill
69.9 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southern First Hill
66.9 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northeastern First Hill
61.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern First Hill
59.7 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern First Hill
56.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northwestern First Hill sounds about 158% louder than in eastern First Hill, a 13.7 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 I-5 do you need to be?
I-5 produces an estimated 80 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
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 4% of First Hill sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 81% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) sits south of First Hill. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of First Hill, 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 First Hill
The bar chart below shows the share of First Hill residents in each noise band. About 2% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 46% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How First Hill Compares
First Hill sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how First Hill's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Uptown, Columbia City, Sunset Hill, and Central District.
Average noise level (dBA)
First Hill's 60.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than First Hill because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 90.8% of First Hill 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, 94.9% of First Hill's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Washington average of 27.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to First Hill
- 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-5 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 4% of First Hill 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. Seattle-Tacoma International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
