Noise Levels in North Ironbound, Newark, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across North Ironbound
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
26,881
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
73% of North Ironbound residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across North Ironbound 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 26,881 North Ironbound residents, or 72.7%, live above that level. By land area, 77.5% of North Ironbound is above 55 dBA.
22.5% below 55 dBA
77.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in North Ironbound compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of North Ironbound
Average noise levels for North Ironbound residents, grouped by direction from the center of North Ironbound. The highest population-weighted average is in northern North Ironbound; the lowest is in southwestern North Ironbound, where just 50% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northern North Ironbound
66.8 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern North Ironbound
65.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern North Ironbound
62.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern North Ironbound
58.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern North Ironbound
57.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northern North Ironbound sounds about 88% louder than in southwestern North Ironbound, a 9.1 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 Raymond Blvd do you need to be?
Raymond Blvd produces an estimated 71 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
71 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 1% of North Ironbound sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 81% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of North Ironbound. 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.
Airport Noise
Newark Liberty International (EWR) sits south of North Ironbound. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 60 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of North Ironbound, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across North Ironbound
The bar chart below shows the share of North Ironbound residents in each noise band. About 21% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 32% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How North Ironbound Compares
North Ironbound sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how North Ironbound's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with West Side, Greenville, Downtown Jersey City, and The Heights.
Average noise level (dBA)
North Ironbound's 58.5 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. New Jersey as a whole averages 49.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than North Ironbound because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 72.7% of North Ironbound 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, 77.5% of North Ironbound's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New Jersey average of 25.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to North Ironbound
- 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 Raymond Blvd 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 1% of North Ironbound is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is high-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. Newark Liberty International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
