Noise Levels in Hillandale, Silver Spring, MD | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
60 dBA
Average noise across Hillandale
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
2,810
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
50% of Hillandale residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Hillandale 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 2,810 Hillandale residents, or 49.9%, live above that level. By land area, 50.0% of Hillandale is above 55 dBA.
50.0% below 55 dBA
50.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Hillandale compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Hillandale
Average noise levels for Hillandale residents, grouped by direction from the center of Hillandale. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Hillandale; the lowest is in southern Hillandale, where just 37% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Hillandale
66.5 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northeastern Hillandale
65.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western Hillandale
62.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Hillandale
62.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Hillandale
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Hillandale sounds about 53% louder than in southern Hillandale, a 6.1 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 Capital Beltway do you need to be?
Capital Beltway produces an estimated 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 32% of Hillandale sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 26% 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
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) sits south of Hillandale. 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 Hillandale, 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 Hillandale
The bar chart below shows the share of Hillandale residents in each noise band. About 32% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 56% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Hillandale Compares
Hillandale sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Hillandale's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Goddard, North Kensington, Carroll Manor, and Forest Glen.
Average noise level (dBA)
Hillandale's 59.8 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 Hillandale because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 49.9% of Hillandale residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 50.0% of Hillandale'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 Hillandale
- 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 32% of Hillandale is under tree cover (much heavier than most neighborhoods), 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.
