Noise Levels in Gross Point, Wilmette, IL | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across Gross Point
Quiet office
968
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
17% of Gross Point residents
59 dBA
Loudest residential point
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Gross Point 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 968 Gross Point residents, or 16.7%, live above that level. By land area, 25.2% of Gross Point is above 55 dBA.
74.8% below 55 dBA
25.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Gross Point compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Gross Point
Average noise levels for Gross Point residents, grouped by direction from the center of Gross Point. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern Gross Point; the lowest is in central Gross Point, where just 8% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern Gross Point
60.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Gross Point
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Gross Point
52.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Gross Point
52.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Gross Point
49.8 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northeastern Gross Point sounds about 103% louder than in central Gross Point, a 10.2 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.
How far back from Wilmette Ave do you need to be?
Wilmette Ave produces an estimated 57 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
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
36 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 21% of Gross Point sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 34% 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
Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) sits southwest of Gross Point. 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 Gross Point, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Gross Point
The bar chart below shows the share of Gross Point residents in each noise band. About 89% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Gross Point Compares
Gross Point sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Gross Point's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Jefferson Park, Lincoln Square, Gladstone, and Grayland.
Average noise level (dBA)
Gross Point's 50.7 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Illinois as a whole averages 52.6 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Gross Point because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 16.7% of Gross Point 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, 25.2% of Gross Point's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Illinois average of 29.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Gross Point
- 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 Wilmette Ave 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 21% of Gross Point is under tree cover (heavier than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is low-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. Chicago O'Hare International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
