Noise Levels in South Central, Raleigh, NC | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across South Central
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,760
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
28% of South Central residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South Central 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 1,760 South Central residents, or 27.9%, live above that level. By land area, 41.9% of South Central is above 55 dBA.
58.1% below 55 dBA
41.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South Central compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of South Central
Average noise levels for South Central residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Central. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern South Central; the lowest is in southern South Central, where just 22% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern South Central
56.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern South Central
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central South Central
55.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern South Central
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern South Central
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern South Central sounds about 25% louder than in southern South Central, a 3.2 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 Ns-85548 do you need to be?
Ns-85548 produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 30% of South Central sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 31% 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 South Central. 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
Raleigh-Durham International (RDU) sits northwest of South Central. 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 South Central, 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 South Central
The bar chart below shows the share of South Central residents in each noise band. About 72% 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 South Central Compares
South Central sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how South Central's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Central, North Central, Glenwood, and Five Points.
Average noise level (dBA)
South Central's 51.1 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 South Central because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 27.9% of South Central residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 41.9% of South Central'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 South Central
- 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 Ns-85548 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 30% of South Central is under tree cover (heavier than most 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. Raleigh-Durham International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
