Noise Levels in Minnehaha, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across Minnehaha
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,798
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
43% of Minnehaha residents
77 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Minnehaha 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 3,798 Minnehaha residents, or 43.2%, live above that level. By land area, 42.7% of Minnehaha is above 55 dBA.
57.3% below 55 dBA
42.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Minnehaha compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Minnehaha
Average noise levels for Minnehaha residents, grouped by direction from the center of Minnehaha. Southern Minnehaha carries the highest population-weighted average; Northern Minnehaha carries the lowest. Just 26% of residents in Northern Minnehaha live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in Southern Minnehaha.
Central Minnehaha
56.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Minnehaha
56.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Minnehaha
53.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern Minnehaha
60.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Minnehaha
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern Minnehaha sounds about 72% louder than Northern Minnehaha to the human ear, 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 State Rte 500 do you need to be?
State Rte 500 produces an estimated 69 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
69 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 23% of Minnehaha sits under tree canopy (about average for cities) and roughly 48% 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
Portland International (PDX) sits south of Minnehaha. 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 Minnehaha, 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 Minnehaha
The bar chart below shows the share of Minnehaha residents in each noise band. About 48% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 19% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Minnehaha Compares
Minnehaha sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Minnehaha's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Brush Prairie, La Center, Walnut Grove, and Five Corners.
Average noise level (dBA)
Minnehaha's 56.6 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Minnehaha because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 43.2% of Minnehaha residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 42.7% of Minnehaha's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Washington average of 27.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Minnehaha
- 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 State Rte 500 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 23% of Minnehaha 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. Portland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
