Noise Levels in Newton County, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
43 dBA
Average noise across Newton County
Quiet suburban street at night
413
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
4% of Newton County residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Newton County 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 413 Newton County residents, or 3.9%, live above that level. By land area, 3.9% of Newton County is above 55 dBA.
96.1% below 55 dBA
3.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Newton County compares to similar-sized counties.
Noise by Part of Newton County
Average noise levels for Newton County residents, grouped by direction from the center of Newton County. The highest population-weighted average is in western Newton County; the lowest is in northeastern Newton County, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Western Newton County
45.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Newton
42.4 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southern Newton County
42.2 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Northwestern Newton County
41.6 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Northeastern Newton County
41.1 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in western Newton County sounds about 33% louder than in northeastern Newton County, a 4.1 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 Almadane Cemetery Rd do you need to be?
Almadane Cemetery Rd produces an estimated 53 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
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
330 ft
35 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 67% of Newton County sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most counties) and roughly 2% 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.
-->
Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of Newton County. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Newton County
The bar chart below shows the share of Newton County residents in each noise band. About 98% 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 Newton County Compares
Newton County sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Newton County's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Jasper County, Tyler County, Sabine County, and San Augustine County.
Average noise level (dBA)
Newton County's 42.7 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 Newton County because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 3.9% of Newton County 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, 3.9% of Newton County'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 Newton County
- 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 Almadane Cemetery Rd 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 67% of Newton County is under tree cover (much heavier than most counties), 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.
