Noise Levels in Richmond, Lehigh Acres, FL | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across Richmond
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,292
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
27% of Richmond residents
68 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Richmond 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 2,292 Richmond residents, or 26.8%, live above that level. By land area, 25.8% of Richmond is above 55 dBA.
74.2% below 55 dBA
25.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Richmond compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Richmond
Average noise levels for Richmond residents, grouped by direction from the center of Richmond. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Richmond; the lowest is in central Richmond, where just 7% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Richmond
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Richmond
55.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern Richmond
51.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Richmond
50.0 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Central Richmond
49.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Richmond sounds about 60% louder than in central Richmond, a 6.8 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 Lee Blvd do you need to be?
Lee Blvd produces an estimated 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 17% of Richmond sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 26% 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
Southwest Florida International (RSW) sits southwest of Richmond. 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 Richmond, 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 Richmond
The bar chart below shows the share of Richmond residents in each noise band. About 80% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 2% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Richmond Compares
Richmond sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Richmond's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Sunshine, Winkler Safe Neighborhood, Harris, and Arborwood.
Average noise level (dBA)
Richmond's 51.5 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Florida as a whole averages 51.6 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Richmond because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 26.8% of Richmond 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, 25.8% of Richmond's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Florida average of 31.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Richmond
- 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 Lee 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 17% of Richmond is under tree cover (about average for 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. Southwest Florida International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
