Noise Levels in North Bennington, VT | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map

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 236 North Bennington residents, or 7.9%, live above that level. By land area, 10.3% of North Bennington is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in North Bennington compares to similar-sized cities.

Noise by Part of North Bennington

Average noise levels for North Bennington residents, grouped by direction from the center of North Bennington. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern North Bennington; the lowest is in northern North Bennington, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in eastern North Bennington sounds about 40% louder than in northern North Bennington, a 4.9 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.

Rail Noise

Active freight rail runs through parts of North Bennington. 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 North Bennington

The bar chart below shows the share of North Bennington residents in each noise band. About 96% 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 North Bennington Compares

North Bennington sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how North Bennington's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Shaftsbury, Arlington, Pownal, and Manchester Center.

Average noise level (dBA)

North Bennington's 46.1 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Vermont as a whole averages 46.5 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than North Bennington because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 7.9% of North Bennington 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, 10.3% of North Bennington's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Vermont average of 12.4% and a national average of 28.1%.

What This Means if You're Moving to North Bennington

• 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 46% of North Bennington is under tree cover (heavier than most cities), and the dominant land cover is deciduous 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.

Sources & Methodology