Noise Levels in University Heights and Rosedale Hills, Indianapolis, IN | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across University Heights and Rosedale Hills
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,454
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
48% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across University Heights and Rosedale Hills 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 1,454 University Heights and Rosedale Hills residents, or 47.7%, live above that level. By land area, 53.0% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills is above 55 dBA.
47.0% below 55 dBA
53.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in University Heights and Rosedale Hills compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of University Heights and Rosedale Hills
Average noise levels for University Heights and Rosedale Hills residents, grouped by direction from the center of University Heights and Rosedale Hills. Southern University Heights and Rosedale Hills carries the highest population-weighted average; Eastern University Heights and Rosedale Hills carries the lowest. Just 22% of residents in Eastern University Heights and Rosedale Hills live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in Southern University Heights and Rosedale Hills.
Central University Heights and Rosedale Hills
57.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern University Heights and Rosedale Hills
52.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern University Heights and Rosedale Hills
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern University Heights and Rosedale Hills
63.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western University Heights and Rosedale Hills
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern University Heights and Rosedale Hills sounds about 116% louder than Eastern University Heights and Rosedale Hills to the human ear, a 11.1 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 Lawrence Av do you need to be?
Lawrence Av produces an estimated 59 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
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
330 ft
39 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 13% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 40% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of University Heights and Rosedale Hills. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
Airport Noise
Indianapolis International (IND) sits west of University Heights and Rosedale Hills. 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 University Heights and Rosedale Hills, 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 University Heights and Rosedale Hills
The bar chart below shows the share of University Heights and Rosedale Hills residents in each noise band. About 47% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 16% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How University Heights and Rosedale Hills Compares
University Heights and Rosedale Hills sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how University Heights and Rosedale Hills's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with West Edgewood, Glenroy Village, bean-creek-indianapolis-in, and Chatham-Arch.
Average noise level (dBA)
University Heights and Rosedale Hills's 56.6 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Indiana as a whole averages 53.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than University Heights and Rosedale Hills because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 47.7% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills 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, 53.0% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Indiana average of 37.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to University Heights and Rosedale Hills
- 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 Lawrence Av 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 13% of University Heights and Rosedale Hills 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.
- Airport noise is directional. Indianapolis International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
