Noise Levels in South End, Burlington, VT | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
47 dBA
Average noise across South End
Quiet office
2,709
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
22% of South End residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South End 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 2,709 South End residents, or 21.7%, live above that level. By land area, 34.5% of South End is above 55 dBA.
65.5% below 55 dBA
34.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South End compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of South End
Average noise levels for South End residents, grouped by direction from the center of South End. The highest population-weighted average is in southern South End; the lowest is in northeastern South End, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southern South End
58.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern South End
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central South End
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western South End
52.8 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern South End
41.6 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in southern South End sounds about 218% louder than in northeastern South End, a 16.7 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 Th-8 do you need to be?
Th-8 produces an estimated 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
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 31% of South End sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 44% 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 End. 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
Patrick Leahy Burlington International (BTV) sits east of South End. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of South End, particularly to the west, 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 End
The bar chart below shows the share of South End residents in each noise band. About 79% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 7% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How South End Compares
South End sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how South End's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Old North End, New North End, South Burlington North, and Williston North.
Average noise level (dBA)
South End's 47.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Vermont as a whole averages 46.5 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than South End because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 21.7% of South End 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, 34.5% of South End's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Vermont average of 12.4% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to South End
- 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 Th-8 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 31% of South End 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. Patrick Leahy Burlington International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
