Noise Levels in Third Ward, Eau Claire, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across Third Ward
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,101
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
42% of Third Ward residents
69 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Third Ward 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 2,101 Third Ward residents, or 42.3%, live above that level. By land area, 50.7% of Third Ward is above 55 dBA.
49.3% below 55 dBA
50.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Third Ward compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Third Ward
Average noise levels for Third Ward residents, grouped by direction from the center of Third Ward. The highest population-weighted average is in central Third Ward; the lowest is in eastern Third Ward, where just 34% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Central Third Ward
58.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Third Ward
57.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern Third Ward
57.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Third Ward
55.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central Third Ward sounds about 16% louder than in eastern Third Ward, a 2.1 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 69 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
69 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 18% of Third Ward sits under tree canopy (about average for 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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How Noise Is Distributed Across Third Ward
The bar chart below shows the share of Third Ward residents in each noise band. About 70% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Third Ward Compares
Third Ward sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Third Ward's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with East Hill, Randall Park, Putnam Heights, and North Side Hill.
Average noise level (dBA)
Third Ward's 54.5 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Wisconsin as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Third Ward because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 42.3% of Third Ward 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, 50.7% of Third Ward's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Wisconsin average of 29.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Third Ward
- 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 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 18% of Third Ward is under tree cover (about average for 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.
