Noise Levels in McGovern Park, Milwaukee, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across McGovern Park
Quiet office to normal conversation
733
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
25% of McGovern Park residents
71 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across McGovern Park 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 733 McGovern Park residents, or 25.2%, live above that level. By land area, 32.6% of McGovern Park is above 55 dBA.
67.4% below 55 dBA
32.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in McGovern Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of McGovern Park
Average noise levels for McGovern Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of McGovern Park. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern McGovern Park; the lowest is in western McGovern Park, where just 0% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern McGovern Park
58.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern McGovern Park
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central McGovern Park
52.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western McGovern Park
51.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in eastern McGovern Park sounds about 72% louder than in western McGovern Park, 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 71 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
71 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 24% of McGovern Park sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 44% 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
General Mitchell International (MKE) sits south of McGovern Park. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of McGovern Park, 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 McGovern Park
The bar chart below shows the share of McGovern Park residents in each noise band. About 68% 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 McGovern Park Compares
McGovern Park sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how McGovern Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Town and Country Manor, Menomonee River Hills East, Silver Swan, and Borchert Field.
Average noise level (dBA)
McGovern Park's 53.5 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Wisconsin as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than McGovern Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 25.2% of McGovern Park 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, 32.6% of McGovern Park's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Wisconsin average of 29.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to McGovern Park
- 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 24% of McGovern Park 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. General Mitchell International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
