Noise Levels in Hockley County, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
46 dBA
Average noise across Hockley County
Quiet office
1,666
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
14% of Hockley County residents
93 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Hockley County 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 1,666 Hockley County residents, or 13.5%, live above that level. By land area, 6.9% of Hockley County is above 55 dBA.
93.1% below 55 dBA
6.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Hockley County compares to similar-sized counties.
Noise by Part of Hockley County
Average noise levels for Hockley County residents, grouped by direction from the center of Hockley County. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern Hockley County; the lowest is in southwestern Hockley County, where just 3% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern Hockley County
52.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Hockley County
49.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northwestern Hockley County
48.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southern Hockley County
46.1 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southwestern Hockley County
45.1 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in northeastern Hockley County sounds about 72% louder than in southwestern Hockley County, a 7.8 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 93 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 office to normal conversation.
At source
93 dBA
Power saw
165 ft
79 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
71 dBA
City bus interior
660 ft
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
¼ mile
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
½ mile
48 dBA
Quiet office
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of Hockley County sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most counties) and roughly 22% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of Hockley County. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Hockley County
The bar chart below shows the share of Hockley County residents in each noise band. About 85% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 2% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Hockley County Compares
Hockley County sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Hockley County's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Terry County, Lamb County, Hale County, and Gaines County.
Average noise level (dBA)
Hockley County's 46.2 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Hockley County because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 13.5% of Hockley County 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, 6.9% of Hockley County's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Hockley County
- 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 0% of Hockley County is under tree cover (much lighter than most counties), 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.
