Noise Levels in South Valley, Syracuse, NY | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across South Valley
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,159
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
23% of South Valley residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South Valley 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 1,159 South Valley residents, or 23.1%, live above that level. By land area, 34.6% of South Valley is above 55 dBA.
65.4% below 55 dBA
34.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South Valley compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of South Valley
Average noise levels for South Valley residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Valley. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern South Valley; the lowest is in western South Valley, where just 14% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern South Valley
62.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Eastern South Valley
62.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central South Valley
59.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern South Valley
57.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western South Valley
51.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southeastern South Valley sounds about 111% louder than in western South Valley, a 10.8 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 I-81 do you need to be?
I-81 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
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
46 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 42% of South Valley sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 22% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Syracuse Hancock International (SYR) sits north of South Valley. 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 South Valley, particularly to the south, 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 Valley
The bar chart below shows the share of South Valley residents in each noise band. About 78% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 8% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How South Valley Compares
South Valley sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how South Valley's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Strathmore, Southwest, Brighton, and Outer Comstock.
Average noise level (dBA)
South Valley's 52.3 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. New York as a whole averages 55.4 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than South Valley because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 23.1% of South Valley 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, 34.6% of South Valley'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 Valley
- 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-81 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 42% of South Valley is under tree cover (much heavier than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is low-density developed open space. 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. Syracuse Hancock International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
