Noise Levels in Lansdowne, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across Lansdowne
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
8,792
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
61% of Lansdowne residents
99 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Lansdowne 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 8,792 Lansdowne residents, or 61.1%, live above that level. By land area, 66.1% of Lansdowne is above 55 dBA.
33.9% below 55 dBA
66.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Lansdowne compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Lansdowne
Average noise levels for Lansdowne residents, grouped by direction from the center of Lansdowne. Southern Lansdowne carries the highest population-weighted average; Northern Lansdowne carries the lowest. Just 54% of residents in Northern Lansdowne live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in Southern Lansdowne.
Central Lansdowne
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Lansdowne
58.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Lansdowne
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern Lansdowne
59.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Lansdowne
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern Lansdowne sounds about 37% louder than Northern Lansdowne to the human ear, a 4.5 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 Baltimore Av do you need to be?
Baltimore Av produces an estimated 63 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
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
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 25% of Lansdowne sits under tree canopy (about average for cities) and roughly 46% 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 Lansdowne. 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.
Airport Noise
Philadelphia International (PHL) sits south of Lansdowne. 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 Lansdowne, 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 Lansdowne
The bar chart below shows the share of Lansdowne residents in each noise band. About 32% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 25% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Lansdowne Compares
Lansdowne sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Lansdowne's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Wynnewood, Clifton Heights, Ardmore, and Glenolden.
Average noise level (dBA)
Lansdowne's 57.0 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 Lansdowne because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 61.1% of Lansdowne 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, 66.1% of Lansdowne'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 Lansdowne
- 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 Baltimore Av 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 25% of Lansdowne is under tree cover (about average for cities), 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. Philadelphia International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
