Noise Levels in Hokendauqua, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across Hokendauqua
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,268
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
50% of Hokendauqua residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Hokendauqua 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 1,268 Hokendauqua residents, or 50.2%, live above that level. By land area, 49.9% of Hokendauqua is above 55 dBA.
50.1% below 55 dBA
49.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Hokendauqua compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Hokendauqua
Average noise levels for Hokendauqua residents, grouped by direction from the center of Hokendauqua. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Hokendauqua; the lowest is in northeastern Hokendauqua, where just 34% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Hokendauqua
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Hokendauqua
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Hokendauqua
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern Hokendauqua
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern Hokendauqua
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Hokendauqua sounds about 8% louder than in northeastern Hokendauqua, a 1.1 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 Macarthur Rd do you need to be?
Macarthur Rd 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
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
46 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 33% of Hokendauqua sits under tree canopy (about average for cities) and roughly 33% 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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How Noise Is Distributed Across Hokendauqua
The bar chart below shows the share of Hokendauqua residents in each noise band. About 24% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 11% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Hokendauqua Compares
Hokendauqua sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Hokendauqua's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, North Catasauqua, and Germansville.
Average noise level (dBA)
Hokendauqua's 56.1 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Hokendauqua because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 50.2% of Hokendauqua 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, 49.9% of Hokendauqua's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Pennsylvania average of 33.5% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Hokendauqua
- 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 Macarthur Rd 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 33% of Hokendauqua is under tree cover (about average for cities), 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.
