Noise Levels in Wilson Park, Milwaukee, WI | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
63 dBA
Average noise across Wilson Park
Busy restaurant
1,915
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
64% of Wilson Park residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Wilson Park 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 1,915 Wilson Park residents, or 63.8%, live above that level. By land area, 72.9% of Wilson Park is above 55 dBA.
27.1% below 55 dBA
72.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Wilson Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Wilson Park
Average noise levels for Wilson Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of Wilson Park. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Wilson Park; the lowest is in western Wilson Park, where just 44% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Wilson Park
70.2 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Eastern Wilson Park
66.6 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Central Wilson Park
63.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Wilson Park
58.7 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Wilson Park
58.7 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Wilson Park sounds about 122% louder than in western Wilson Park, a 11.5 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 IH 043N do you need to be?
IH 043N 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 12% of Wilson Park sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 56% 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 Wilson Park. 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
General Mitchell International (MKE) sits southeast of Wilson Park. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Wilson Park, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Wilson Park
The bar chart below shows the share of Wilson Park residents in each noise band. About 16% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 50% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Wilson Park Compares
Wilson Park sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Wilson Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Fairview, Southpoint, Mitchell West, and Castle Manor.
Average noise level (dBA)
Wilson Park's 62.8 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Wisconsin as a whole averages 53.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Wilson Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 63.8% of Wilson Park 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, 72.9% of Wilson Park's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Wisconsin average of 29.6% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Wilson Park
- 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 IH 043N 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 12% of Wilson Park 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. General Mitchell International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
