Noise Levels in Macedonia, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
38 dBA
Average noise across Macedonia
Soft rainfall
8
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
0% of Macedonia residents
63 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Macedonia 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 Macedonia residents, or 0.5%, live above that level. By land area, 0.8% of Macedonia is above 55 dBA.
99.2% below 55 dBA
0.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Macedonia compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Macedonia
Average noise levels for Macedonia residents, grouped by direction from the center of Macedonia. Western Macedonia carries the highest population-weighted average; Eastern Macedonia carries the lowest. Just 0% of residents in Eastern Macedonia live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in Western Macedonia.
Eastern Macedonia
33.7 dBA · Quiet
Whisper
Northern Macedonia
36.6 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Southern Macedonia
35.3 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Western Macedonia
42.5 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Western Macedonia sounds about 84% louder than Eastern Macedonia to the human ear, a 8.8 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 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
40 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 87% of Macedonia sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most cities) and roughly 0% 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
George Bush Intcntl/Houston (IAH) sits southwest of Macedonia. 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 Macedonia, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Macedonia
The bar chart below shows the share of Macedonia residents in each noise band. About 100% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Macedonia Compares
Macedonia sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Macedonia's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Moss Hill, Evergreen, Kenefick, and Eastgate.
Average noise level (dBA)
Macedonia's 38.0 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Macedonia because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 0.5% of Macedonia residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 0.8% of Macedonia'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 Macedonia
- 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 87% of Macedonia is under tree cover (much heavier than most cities), and the dominant land cover is evergreen forest. 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. George Bush Intcntl/Houston's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
