Noise Levels in South Broad Street, Newark, NJ | 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 5,738 South Broad Street residents, or 51.4%, live above that level. By land area, 61.9% of South Broad Street is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in South Broad Street compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.

Noise by Part of South Broad Street

Average noise levels for South Broad Street residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Broad Street. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern South Broad Street; the lowest is in central South Broad Street, where just 35% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in eastern South Broad Street sounds about 104% louder than in central South Broad Street, a 10.3 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 South Broad Street. 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

Newark Liberty International (EWR) sits southeast of South Broad Street. 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 60 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of South Broad Street, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.

How Noise Is Distributed Across South Broad Street

The bar chart below shows the share of South Broad Street residents in each noise band. About 39% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 27% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How South Broad Street Compares

South Broad Street sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how South Broad Street's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Springfield-Belmont, South Ironbound, Seventh Avenue, and Downtown Elizabeth.

Average noise level (dBA)

South Broad Street's 57.2 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. New Jersey as a whole averages 49.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than South Broad Street because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 51.4% of South Broad Street 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, 61.9% of South Broad Street's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New Jersey average of 25.2% and a national average of 28.1%.

What This Means if You're Moving to South Broad Street

• 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-78 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 7% of South Broad Street is under tree cover (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. Newark Liberty International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology