Noise Levels in Smith Homes, Greensboro, NC | 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 916 Smith Homes residents, or 33.8%, live above that level. By land area, 39.0% of Smith Homes is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in Smith Homes compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.

Noise by Part of Smith Homes

Average noise levels for Smith Homes residents, grouped by direction from the center of Smith Homes. The highest population-weighted average is in central Smith Homes; the lowest is in southeastern Smith Homes, where just 31% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in central Smith Homes sounds about 7% louder than in southeastern Smith Homes, a 1.0 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.

Rail Noise

Active freight rail runs through parts of Smith Homes. 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

Piedmont Triad International (GSO) sits northwest of Smith Homes. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Smith Homes, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.

How Noise Is Distributed Across Smith Homes

The bar chart below shows the share of Smith Homes residents in each noise band. About 76% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 13% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How Smith Homes Compares

Smith Homes sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Smith Homes's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with warnersville-greensboro-nc, College Hill, greenhaven-greensboro-nc, and sedgefield-lakes-greensboro-nc.

Average noise level (dBA)

Smith Homes's 53.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. North Carolina as a whole averages 49.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Smith Homes because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 33.8% of Smith Homes 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, 39.0% of Smith Homes's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a North Carolina average of 22.6% and a national average of 28.1%.

What This Means if You're Moving to Smith Homes

• 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 23% of Smith Homes is under tree cover (heavier 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. Piedmont Triad International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology