Noise Levels in Williamsburg City, VA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Williamsburg City
Quiet office to normal conversation
4,290
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
29% of Williamsburg City residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Williamsburg City 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 4,290 Williamsburg City residents, or 29.4%, live above that level. By land area, 43.0% of Williamsburg City is above 55 dBA.
57.0% below 55 dBA
43.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Williamsburg City compares to similar-sized counties.
Noise by Part of Williamsburg City
Average noise levels for Williamsburg City residents, grouped by direction from the center of Williamsburg City. The highest population-weighted average is in southern Williamsburg City; the lowest is in western Williamsburg City, where just 22% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southern Williamsburg City
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern Williamsburg City
58.5 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Williamsburg City
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Williamsburg City
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Williamsburg City
54.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern Williamsburg City sounds about 39% louder than in western Williamsburg City, a 4.8 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 Richmond Rd do you need to be?
Richmond Rd produces an estimated 64 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
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 46% of Williamsburg City sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most counties) and roughly 30% 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 Williamsburg City. 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 Williamsburg City
The bar chart below shows the share of Williamsburg City residents in each noise band. About 53% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 14% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Williamsburg City Compares
Williamsburg City sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Williamsburg City's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Poquoson City, Middlesex County, New Kent County, and Surry County.
Average noise level (dBA)
Williamsburg City's 54.7 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Virginia as a whole averages 52.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Williamsburg City because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 29.4% of Williamsburg City residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 43.0% of Williamsburg City's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Virginia average of 30.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Williamsburg City
- 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 Richmond Rd 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 46% of Williamsburg City is under tree cover (much heavier than most counties), 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.
