Noise Levels in West New York, NJ | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
48 dBA
Average noise across West New York
Quiet office
7,276
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
24% of West New York residents
66 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across West New York 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 7,276 West New York residents, or 24.1%, live above that level. By land area, 23.3% of West New York is above 55 dBA.
76.7% below 55 dBA
23.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in West New York compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of West New York
Average noise levels for West New York residents, grouped by direction from the center of West New York. Southern West New York carries the highest population-weighted average; Northern West New York carries the lowest. Just 11% of residents in Northern West New York live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in Southern West New York.
Central West New York
49.8 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Eastern West New York
49.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northern West New York
44.2 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southern West New York
49.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Western West New York
47.8 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southern West New York sounds about 48% louder than Northern West New York to the human ear, a 5.7 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 Broadway do you need to be?
Broadway 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
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 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 1% of West New York sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most cities) and roughly 81% 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
Laguardia (LGA) sits east of West New York. 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 West New York, particularly to the west, 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 New York
The bar chart below shows the share of West New York residents in each noise band. About 75% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 8% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How West New York Compares
West New York sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how West New York's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Belleville, Fort Lee, Teaneck, and Englewood.
Average noise level (dBA)
West New York's 48.4 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. New Jersey as a whole averages 49.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than West New York because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 24.1% of West New York 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, 23.3% of West New York's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a New Jersey average of 25.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to West New York
- 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 Broadway 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 1% of West New York is under tree cover (much lighter than most cities), and the dominant land cover is high-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. Laguardia's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
