Noise Levels in Robertson County, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
46 dBA
Average noise across Robertson County
Quiet office
1,441
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
12% of Robertson County residents
110 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Robertson County 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 1,441 Robertson County residents, or 12.4%, live above that level. By land area, 17.2% of Robertson County is above 55 dBA.
82.8% below 55 dBA
17.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Robertson County compares to similar-sized counties.
Noise by Part of Robertson County
Average noise levels for Robertson County residents, grouped by direction from the center of Robertson County. The highest population-weighted average is in the Hearne area (southwestern Robertson County); the lowest is in southeastern Robertson County, where just 0% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Hearne
63.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Robertson County
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Robertson County
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Franklin
45.1 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southeastern Robertson County
44.8 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in the Hearne area (southwestern Robertson County) sounds about 276% louder than in southeastern Robertson County, a 19.1 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 110 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 city bus interior.
At source
110 dBA
Power saw
330 ft
91 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
660 ft
84 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
¼ mile
77 dBA
City bus interior
½ mile
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 13% of Robertson County sits under tree canopy (lighter than most counties) and roughly 12% 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 Robertson County. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Robertson County
The bar chart below shows the share of Robertson County residents in each noise band. About 81% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 9% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Robertson County Compares
Robertson County sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Robertson County's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Falls County, Leon County, Burleson County, and Madison County.
Average noise level (dBA)
Robertson County's 46.3 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Robertson County because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 12.4% of Robertson County 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, 17.2% of Robertson County's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Robertson County
- 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 13% of Robertson County is under tree cover (lighter than most counties), and the dominant land cover is pasture / hay. 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.
