Noise Levels in North Sifton-Orchards Area, Orchards, WA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across North Sifton-Orchards Area
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,435
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
48% of North Sifton-Orchards Area residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across North Sifton-Orchards Area 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 1,435 North Sifton-Orchards Area residents, or 47.8%, live above that level. By land area, 49.2% of North Sifton-Orchards Area is above 55 dBA.
50.8% below 55 dBA
49.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in North Sifton-Orchards Area compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of North Sifton-Orchards Area
Average noise levels for North Sifton-Orchards Area residents, grouped by direction from the center of North Sifton-Orchards Area. The highest population-weighted average is in central North Sifton-Orchards Area; the lowest is in southwestern North Sifton-Orchards Area, where just 36% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Central North Sifton-Orchards Area
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern North Sifton-Orchards Area
58.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern North Sifton-Orchards Area
58.5 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern North Sifton-Orchards Area
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern North Sifton-Orchards Area
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central North Sifton-Orchards Area sounds about 44% louder than in southwestern North Sifton-Orchards Area, a 5.3 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 76 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
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
46 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 22% of North Sifton-Orchards Area sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 48% 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
Portland International (PDX) sits southwest of North Sifton-Orchards Area. 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 North Sifton-Orchards Area, particularly to the northeast, 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 Sifton-Orchards Area
The bar chart below shows the share of North Sifton-Orchards Area residents in each noise band. About 40% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 29% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How North Sifton-Orchards Area Compares
North Sifton-Orchards Area sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how North Sifton-Orchards Area's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Kevanna Park, Fisher-Mill Plain-Fisher's Village, Marrion, and Oakbrook.
Average noise level (dBA)
North Sifton-Orchards Area's 57.9 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than North Sifton-Orchards Area because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 47.8% of North Sifton-Orchards Area residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 49.2% of North Sifton-Orchards Area's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Washington average of 27.7% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to North Sifton-Orchards Area
- 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 22% of North Sifton-Orchards Area is under tree cover (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. Portland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
