Noise Levels in Hillcrest, Dayton, OH | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across Hillcrest
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,369
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
39% of Hillcrest residents
67 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Hillcrest 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 1,369 Hillcrest residents, or 38.6%, live above that level. By land area, 42.9% of Hillcrest is above 55 dBA.
57.1% below 55 dBA
42.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Hillcrest compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Hillcrest
Average noise levels for Hillcrest residents, grouped by direction from the center of Hillcrest. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Hillcrest; the lowest is in western Hillcrest, where just 12% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Hillcrest
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Hillcrest
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Hillcrest
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern Hillcrest
51.4 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Hillcrest
50.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Hillcrest sounds about 54% louder than in western Hillcrest, a 6.2 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 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
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 27% of Hillcrest sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 39% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
James M Cox Dayton International (DAY) sits north of Hillcrest. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Hillcrest, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Hillcrest
The bar chart below shows the share of Hillcrest residents in each noise band. About 71% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Hillcrest Compares
Hillcrest sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Hillcrest's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with North Riverdale, West Wood, Residence Park, and Burkhardt.
Average noise level (dBA)
Hillcrest's 53.4 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Ohio as a whole averages 51.1 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Hillcrest because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 38.6% of Hillcrest 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, 42.9% of Hillcrest's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Ohio average of 26.4% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Hillcrest
- 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 27% of Hillcrest 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. James M Cox Dayton International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
