Noise Levels in West Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across West Boulevard
Quiet office to normal conversation
6,238
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
44% of West Boulevard residents
77 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across West Boulevard 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 6,238 West Boulevard residents, or 44.2%, live above that level. By land area, 52.8% of West Boulevard is above 55 dBA.
47.2% below 55 dBA
52.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in West Boulevard compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of West Boulevard
Average noise levels for West Boulevard residents, grouped by direction from the center of West Boulevard. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern West Boulevard; the lowest is in western West Boulevard, where just 10% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern West Boulevard
61.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Eastern West Boulevard
60.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central West Boulevard
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern West Boulevard
54.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western West Boulevard
54.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northeastern West Boulevard sounds about 68% louder than in western West Boulevard, a 7.5 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 Lorain Ave do you need to be?
Lorain Ave produces an estimated 58 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
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
165 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
37 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 15% of West Boulevard sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 62% 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.
-->
Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of West Boulevard. 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
Cleveland-Hopkins International (CLE) sits southwest of West Boulevard. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of West Boulevard, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across West Boulevard
The bar chart below shows the share of West Boulevard residents in each noise band. About 46% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 5% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How West Boulevard Compares
West Boulevard sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how West Boulevard's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Puritas Longmead, Kamms Corner, Jefferson, and South Broadway.
Average noise level (dBA)
West Boulevard's 54.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Ohio as a whole averages 51.1 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than West Boulevard because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 44.2% of West Boulevard residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 52.8% of West Boulevard's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Ohio average of 26.4% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to West Boulevard
- 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 Lorain Ave 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 15% of West Boulevard 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. Cleveland-Hopkins International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
