Noise Levels in Highlands Park, Renton, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across Highlands Park
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,077
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
52% of Highlands Park residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Highlands Park 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 3,077 Highlands Park residents, or 51.8%, live above that level. By land area, 50.2% of Highlands Park is above 55 dBA.
49.8% below 55 dBA
50.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Highlands Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Highlands Park
Average noise levels for Highlands Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of Highlands Park. The highest population-weighted average is in western Highlands Park; the lowest is in southern Highlands Park, where just 21% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Western Highlands Park
68.2 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southwestern Highlands Park
65.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern Highlands Park
58.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Highlands Park
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern Highlands Park
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in western Highlands Park sounds about 169% louder than in southern Highlands Park, a 14.3 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 81 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
81 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
67 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
¼ mile
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 21% of Highlands Park sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 59% 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
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) sits southwest of Highlands Park. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Highlands Park, 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 Highlands Park
The bar chart below shows the share of Highlands Park residents in each noise band. About 46% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 13% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Highlands Park Compares
Highlands Park sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Highlands Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Kennydale, Fairwood Greens, Seward Park, and Newport.
Average noise level (dBA)
Highlands Park's 56.7 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 Highlands Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 51.8% of Highlands Park 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, 50.2% of Highlands Park'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 Highlands Park
- 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 21% of Highlands Park is under tree cover (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.
- Airport noise is directional. Seattle-Tacoma International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
