Noise Levels in Union Hill, Worcester, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across Union Hill
Quiet office to normal conversation
3,685
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
54% of Union Hill residents
66 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Union Hill 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 3,685 Union Hill residents, or 53.5%, live above that level. By land area, 55.0% of Union Hill is above 55 dBA.
45.0% below 55 dBA
55.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Union Hill compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Union Hill
Average noise levels for Union Hill residents, grouped by direction from the center of Union Hill. The highest population-weighted average is in northern Union Hill; the lowest is in southeastern Union Hill, where just 24% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northern Union Hill
66.6 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northwestern Union Hill
59.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Union Hill
57.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern Union Hill
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Union Hill
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern Union Hill sounds about 133% louder than in southeastern Union Hill, a 12.2 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 66 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
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 24% of Union Hill sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 56% 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 Union Hill
The bar chart below shows the share of Union Hill residents in each noise band. About 34% 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 Union Hill Compares
Union Hill sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Union Hill's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with North Quinsigamond Village, University Park, Institute Park, and North Lincoln Street.
Average noise level (dBA)
Union Hill's 55.8 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Massachusetts as a whole averages 54.3 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Union Hill because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 53.5% of Union Hill 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, 55.0% of Union Hill's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Massachusetts average of 40.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Union Hill
- 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 24% of Union Hill 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.
