Noise Levels in Moran Prairie, Spokane, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across Moran Prairie
Quiet office
2,525
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
21% of Moran Prairie residents
63 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Moran Prairie 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 2,525 Moran Prairie residents, or 21.2%, live above that level. By land area, 35.0% of Moran Prairie is above 55 dBA.
65.0% below 55 dBA
35.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Moran Prairie compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Moran Prairie
Average noise levels for Moran Prairie residents, grouped by direction from the center of Moran Prairie. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern Moran Prairie; the lowest is in central Moran Prairie, where just 13% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern Moran Prairie
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Moran Prairie
52.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Moran Prairie
51.0 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southern Moran Prairie
50.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Central Moran Prairie
50.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northwestern Moran Prairie sounds about 18% louder than in central Moran Prairie, a 2.4 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 E 42ND Ave do you need to be?
E 42ND Ave produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
36 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 18% of Moran Prairie sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 42% 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
Spokane International (GEG) sits west of Moran Prairie. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Moran Prairie, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Moran Prairie
The bar chart below shows the share of Moran Prairie residents in each noise band. About 86% 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 Moran Prairie Compares
Moran Prairie sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Moran Prairie's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Lincoln Heights, East Central, Northwest Spokane, and Logan.
Average noise level (dBA)
Moran Prairie's 50.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Moran Prairie because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 21.2% of Moran Prairie 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, 35.0% of Moran Prairie'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 Moran Prairie
- 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 E 42ND Ave 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 18% of Moran Prairie is under tree cover (about average for 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. Spokane International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
