Noise Levels in Globe, Woonsocket, RI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across Globe
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,627
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
35% of Globe residents
67 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Globe 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 1,627 Globe residents, or 35.4%, live above that level. By land area, 36.1% of Globe is above 55 dBA.
63.9% below 55 dBA
36.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Globe compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Globe
Average noise levels for Globe residents, grouped by direction from the center of Globe. The highest population-weighted average is in northern Globe; the lowest is in western Globe, where just 30% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northern Globe
56.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern Globe
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Globe
54.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Globe
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Globe
52.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern Globe sounds about 30% louder than in western Globe, a 3.8 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 67 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
67 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 34% of Globe sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 47% 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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How Noise Is Distributed Across Globe
The bar chart below shows the share of Globe residents in each noise band. About 72% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Globe Compares
Globe sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Globe's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Hamlet, Fairlawn, Marieville, and Mount Hope.
Average noise level (dBA)
Globe's 53.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Rhode Island as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Globe because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 35.4% of Globe 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, 36.1% of Globe's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Rhode Island average of 36.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Globe
- 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 34% of Globe is under tree cover (much heavier than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is medium-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.
