Noise Levels in Washington Park, Milwaukee, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across Washington Park
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
2,507
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
63% of Washington Park residents
80 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Washington 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 2,507 Washington Park residents, or 63.1%, live above that level. By land area, 66.0% of Washington Park is above 55 dBA.
34.0% below 55 dBA
66.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Washington Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Washington Park
Average noise levels for Washington Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of Washington Park. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern Washington Park; the lowest is in central Washington Park, where just 52% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern Washington Park
65.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Washington Park
63.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern Washington Park
60.7 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Washington Park
59.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northwestern Washington Park sounds about 54% louder than in central Washington Park, a 6.2 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 80 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
67 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
¼ mile
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 13% of Washington Park sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 65% 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 Washington Park. 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 Washington Park, 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 Washington Park
The bar chart below shows the share of Washington Park residents in each noise band. About 27% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 28% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Washington Park Compares
Washington Park sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how Washington Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Roosevelt Grove, Kilbourn Town, Uptown, and Grasslyn Manor.
Average noise level (dBA)
Washington Park's 57.7 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Wisconsin as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Washington Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 63.1% of Washington 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, 66.0% of Washington Park'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 Washington 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 13% of Washington Park 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.
