Noise Levels in Schuylkill Southwest, Philadelphia, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
61 dBA
Average noise across Schuylkill Southwest
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
9,936
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
96% of Schuylkill Southwest residents
68 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Schuylkill Southwest 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 9,936 Schuylkill Southwest residents, or 96.1%, live above that level. By land area, 98.0% of Schuylkill Southwest is above 55 dBA.
2.0% below 55 dBA
98.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Schuylkill Southwest compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Schuylkill Southwest
Average noise levels for Schuylkill Southwest residents, grouped by direction from the center of Schuylkill Southwest. The highest population-weighted average is in western Schuylkill Southwest; the lowest is in central Schuylkill Southwest, where just 100% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Western Schuylkill Southwest
63.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern Schuylkill Southwest
63.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern Schuylkill Southwest
63.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern Schuylkill Southwest
61.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central Schuylkill Southwest
61.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in western Schuylkill Southwest sounds about 22% louder than in central Schuylkill Southwest, a 2.9 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 68 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
68 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
46 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 1% of Schuylkill Southwest sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 75% 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 Schuylkill Southwest. 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.
Airport Noise
Philadelphia International (PHL) sits southwest of Schuylkill Southwest. 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 Schuylkill Southwest, 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 Schuylkill Southwest
The bar chart below shows the share of Schuylkill Southwest residents in each noise band. About 4% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 56% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Schuylkill Southwest Compares
Schuylkill Southwest sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Schuylkill Southwest's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Girard Estates, Kensington, Eastwick, and Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista.
Average noise level (dBA)
Schuylkill Southwest's 60.8 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Schuylkill Southwest because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 96.1% of Schuylkill Southwest 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, 98.0% of Schuylkill Southwest'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 Schuylkill Southwest
- 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 1% of Schuylkill Southwest is under tree cover (much lighter 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. Philadelphia International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
