Noise Levels in West Side, Scranton, PA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across West Side
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
5,397
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
80% of West Side residents
89 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across West Side 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 5,397 West Side residents, or 80.1%, live above that level. By land area, 82.1% of West Side is above 55 dBA.
17.9% below 55 dBA
82.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in West Side compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of West Side
Average noise levels for West Side residents, grouped by direction from the center of West Side. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern West Side; the lowest is in western West Side, where just 51% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern West Side
60.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern West Side
60.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern West Side
59.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern West Side
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western West Side
56.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in eastern West Side sounds about 34% louder than in western West Side, a 4.2 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 Main Av do you need to be?
Main Av 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 19% of West Side sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 55% 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 West Side. 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 West Side
The bar chart below shows the share of West Side residents in each noise band. About 10% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 33% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How West Side Compares
West Side sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how West Side's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with South Side, Downtown, The Hill Section, and The Plot.
Average noise level (dBA)
West Side's 58.5 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Pennsylvania as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than West Side because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 80.1% of West Side 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, 82.1% of West Side's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Pennsylvania average of 33.5% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to West Side
- 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 Main Av 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 19% of West Side 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.
