Noise Levels in Tosa East Towne, Wauwatosa, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Tosa East Towne
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,008
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
46% of Tosa East Towne residents
61 dBA
Loudest residential point
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Tosa East Towne 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 2,008 Tosa East Towne residents, or 45.8%, live above that level. By land area, 46.2% of Tosa East Towne is above 55 dBA.
53.8% below 55 dBA
46.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Tosa East Towne compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Tosa East Towne
Average noise levels for Tosa East Towne residents, grouped by direction from the center of Tosa East Towne. Eastern Tosa East Towne carries the highest population-weighted average; Northern Tosa East Towne carries the lowest. Just 0% of residents in Northern Tosa East Towne live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in Eastern Tosa East Towne.
Central Tosa East Towne
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern Tosa East Towne
55.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Tosa East Towne
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Tosa East Towne
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern Tosa East Towne sounds about 18% louder than Northern Tosa East Towne to the human ear, a 2.4 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 61 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
61 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
40 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 15% of Tosa East Towne sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 59% 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
General Mitchell International (MKE) sits southeast of Tosa East Towne. 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 Tosa East Towne, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Tosa East Towne
The bar chart below shows the share of Tosa East Towne residents in each noise band. About 48% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Tosa East Towne Compares
Tosa East Towne sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Tosa East Towne's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Uptown, Capitol Heights, Grasslyn Manor, and Park West.
Average noise level (dBA)
Tosa East Towne's 55.0 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 Tosa East Towne because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 45.8% of Tosa East Towne 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, 46.2% of Tosa East Towne'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 Tosa East Towne
- 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 15% of Tosa East Towne is under tree cover (about average for 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. General Mitchell International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
