Noise Levels in Perry South, Pittsburgh, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across Perry South
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,670
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
60% of Perry South residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Perry South 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 1,670 Perry South residents, or 59.9%, live above that level. By land area, 64.2% of Perry South is above 55 dBA.
35.8% below 55 dBA
64.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Perry South compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Perry South
Average noise levels for Perry South residents, grouped by direction from the center of Perry South. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern Perry South; the lowest is in southwestern Perry South, where just 58% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern Perry South
63.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Perry South
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Perry South
59.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Perry South
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern Perry South
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northeastern Perry South sounds about 56% louder than in southwestern Perry South, a 6.4 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 H178 Charles St do you need to be?
H178 Charles St 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
41 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 42% of Perry South sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 35% 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
Pittsburgh International (PIT) sits west of Perry South. 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 Perry South, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Perry South
The bar chart below shows the share of Perry South residents in each noise band. About 30% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 27% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Perry South Compares
Perry South sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Perry South's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Marshall-Shadeland, Central Lawrenceville, Garfield, and West Oakland.
Average noise level (dBA)
Perry South's 57.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Perry South because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 59.9% of Perry South 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, 64.2% of Perry South's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Pennsylvania average of 33.5% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Perry South
- 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 H178 Charles St 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 42% of Perry South 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.
- Airport noise is directional. Pittsburgh International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
