Noise Levels in Wells Branch, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across Wells Branch
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,536
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
27% of Wells Branch residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Wells Branch 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 2,536 Wells Branch residents, or 27.4%, live above that level. By land area, 38.1% of Wells Branch is above 55 dBA.
61.9% below 55 dBA
38.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Wells Branch compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of Wells Branch
Average noise levels for Wells Branch residents, grouped by direction from the center of Wells Branch. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern Wells Branch; the lowest is in southwestern Wells Branch, where just 3% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern Wells Branch
68.7 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northeastern Wells Branch
66.3 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Western Wells Branch
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern Wells Branch
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern Wells Branch
50.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in eastern Wells Branch sounds about 261% louder than in southwestern Wells Branch, a 18.5 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 I-35 do you need to be?
I-35 produces an estimated 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 9% of Wells Branch sits under tree canopy (lighter than most cities) and roughly 52% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) sits south of Wells Branch. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Wells Branch, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Wells Branch
The bar chart below shows the share of Wells Branch residents in each noise band. About 71% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Wells Branch Compares
Wells Branch sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Wells Branch's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Brushy Creek, Jollyville, Taylor, and Lago Vista.
Average noise level (dBA)
Wells Branch's 52.9 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Wells Branch because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 27.4% of Wells Branch 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, 38.1% of Wells Branch's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Wells Branch
- 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 I-35 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 9% of Wells Branch is under tree cover (lighter than most cities), 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. Austin-Bergstrom International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
