Noise Levels in Four Corners, MD | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map

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 4,112 Four Corners residents, or 58.7%, live above that level. By land area, 69.0% of Four Corners is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in Four Corners compares to similar-sized cities.

Noise by Part of Four Corners

Average noise levels for Four Corners residents, grouped by direction from the center of Four Corners. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Four Corners; the lowest is in northern Four Corners, where just 42% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in southeastern Four Corners sounds about 133% louder than in northern Four Corners, a 12.2 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.

Airport Noise

Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) sits south of Four Corners. 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Four Corners, 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 Four Corners

The bar chart below shows the share of Four Corners residents in each noise band. About 36% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 17% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How Four Corners Compares

Four Corners sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Four Corners's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with South Kensington, Calverton, Mount Rainier, and Bladensburg.

Average noise level (dBA)

Four Corners's 57.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Maryland as a whole averages 52.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Four Corners because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 58.7% of Four Corners 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, 69.0% of Four Corners's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Maryland average of 32.9% and a national average of 28.1%.

What This Means if You're Moving to Four Corners

• 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 Capital Beltway 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 46% of Four Corners is under tree cover (heavier than most cities), and the dominant land cover is low-density developed open space. 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. Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology