Noise Levels in South Farmingdale, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across South Farmingdale
Quiet office to normal conversation
6,121
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
52% of South Farmingdale residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South Farmingdale 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 6,121 South Farmingdale residents, or 52.0%, live above that level. By land area, 52.9% of South Farmingdale is above 55 dBA.
47.1% below 55 dBA
52.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South Farmingdale compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of South Farmingdale
Average noise levels for South Farmingdale residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Farmingdale. The highest population-weighted average is in southern South Farmingdale; the lowest is in northern South Farmingdale, where just 50% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southern South Farmingdale
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern South Farmingdale
59.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern South Farmingdale
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern South Farmingdale
55.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern South Farmingdale
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern South Farmingdale sounds about 43% louder than in northern South Farmingdale, a 5.2 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 Southern State Pkwy do you need to be?
Southern State Pkwy produces an estimated 78 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
78 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 20% of South Farmingdale sits under tree canopy (lighter than most cities) and roughly 47% 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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Airport Noise
John F Kennedy International (JFK) sits west of South Farmingdale. 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 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of South Farmingdale, particularly to the east, 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 Farmingdale
The bar chart below shows the share of South Farmingdale residents in each noise band. About 39% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 5% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How South Farmingdale Compares
South Farmingdale sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how South Farmingdale's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with North Lindenhurst, Babylon, Jericho, and New Cassel.
Average noise level (dBA)
South Farmingdale's 55.7 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. New York as a whole averages 55.4 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than South Farmingdale because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 52.0% of South Farmingdale 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, 52.9% of South Farmingdale's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New York average of 30.9% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to South Farmingdale
- 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 Southern State Pkwy 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 20% of South Farmingdale is under tree cover (lighter than most cities), 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. John F Kennedy International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
