Noise Levels in Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs, Bothell, WA | 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 1,359 Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs residents, or 41.4%, live above that level. By land area, 46.8% of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.

Noise by Part of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs

Average noise levels for Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs residents, grouped by direction from the center of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs; the lowest is in western Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs, where just 9% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in northeastern Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs sounds about 195% louder than in western Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs, a 15.6 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.

Airport Noise

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) sits south of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs. 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs, 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 Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs

The bar chart below shows the share of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs residents in each noise band. About 54% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs Compares

Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Canyon Creek-39th SE, Canyon Park, Wedge, and Avondale.

Average noise level (dBA)

Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs's 56.0 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Washington as a whole averages 51.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 41.4% of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs 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, 46.8% of Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs'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 Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs

• 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 I-405 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 Queensboro-Brentwood-Crystal Spgs 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. Seattle-Tacoma International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology