Noise Levels in Newmarket South, Newport News, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Newmarket South
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,229
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
36% of Newmarket South residents
65 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Newmarket South 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 1,229 Newmarket South residents, or 36.4%, live above that level. By land area, 43.6% of Newmarket South is above 55 dBA.
56.4% below 55 dBA
43.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Newmarket South compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Newmarket South
Average noise levels for Newmarket South residents, grouped by direction from the center of Newmarket South. Northern Newmarket South carries the highest population-weighted average; Eastern Newmarket South carries the lowest. Just 12% of residents in Eastern Newmarket South live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in Northern Newmarket South.
Central Newmarket South
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern Newmarket South
51.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Newmarket South
55.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern Newmarket South
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Newmarket South
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Newmarket South sounds about 39% louder than Eastern Newmarket South to the human ear, a 4.8 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 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 33% of Newmarket South sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 36% 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
Norfolk International (ORF) sits southeast of Newmarket South. 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 Newmarket South, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Newmarket South
The bar chart below shows the share of Newmarket South residents in each noise band. About 33% 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 Newmarket South Compares
Newmarket South sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Newmarket South's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Briarfield, Saunders, North Meadow Brook, and south-morrison-newport-news-va.
Average noise level (dBA)
Newmarket South's 55.1 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Virginia as a whole averages 52.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Newmarket South because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 36.4% of Newmarket South 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, 43.6% of Newmarket South's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Virginia average of 30.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Newmarket South
- 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 33% of Newmarket South is under tree cover (much heavier than most neighborhoods), 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. Norfolk International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
