Noise Levels in University Park, Worcester, MA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across University Park
Quiet office to normal conversation
4,526
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
62% of University Park residents
73 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across University Park 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 4,526 University Park residents, or 61.5%, live above that level. By land area, 60.8% of University Park is above 55 dBA.
39.2% below 55 dBA
60.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in University Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of University Park
Average noise levels for University Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of University Park. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern University Park; the lowest is in southern University Park, where just 48% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern University Park
63.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central University Park
57.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western University Park
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern University Park
55.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern University Park
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northeastern University Park sounds about 77% louder than in southern University Park, a 8.2 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 73 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
73 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 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 22% of University Park sits under tree canopy (heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 58% 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 Park. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across University Park
The bar chart below shows the share of University Park residents in each noise band. About 46% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 13% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How University Park Compares
University Park sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how University Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Institute Park, Union Hill, North Quinsigamond Village, and Tatnuck.
Average noise level (dBA)
University Park'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 University Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 61.5% of University Park 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, 60.8% of University Park'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 University Park
- 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 22% of University Park 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.
