Noise Levels in Newton Square, Worcester, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Newton Square
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,145
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
34% of Newton Square residents
69 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Newton Square 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 1,145 Newton Square residents, or 34.5%, live above that level. By land area, 32.6% of Newton Square is above 55 dBA.
67.4% below 55 dBA
32.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Newton Square compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Newton Square
Average noise levels for Newton Square residents, grouped by direction from the center of Newton Square. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Newton Square; the lowest is in northwestern Newton Square, where just 36% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Newton Square
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Newton Square
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern Newton Square
55.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Newton Square sounds about 21% louder than in northwestern Newton Square, a 2.7 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 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
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
43 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 45% of Newton Square sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 25% 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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How Noise Is Distributed Across Newton Square
The bar chart below shows the share of Newton Square residents in each noise band. About 68% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 15% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Newton Square Compares
Newton Square sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Newton Square's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Central Business District, Indian Hill, Lake Park, and Green Island.
Average noise level (dBA)
Newton Square's 54.7 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Massachusetts as a whole averages 54.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Newton Square because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 34.5% of Newton Square 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 Newton Square's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Massachusetts average of 40.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Newton Square
- 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 45% of Newton Square is under tree cover (much 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.
