Noise Levels in Yorkfield, Elmhurst, IL | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across Yorkfield
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,014
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
18% of Yorkfield residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Yorkfield 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 1,014 Yorkfield residents, or 17.6%, live above that level. By land area, 19.8% of Yorkfield is above 55 dBA.
80.2% below 55 dBA
19.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Yorkfield compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Yorkfield
Average noise levels for Yorkfield residents, grouped by direction from the center of Yorkfield. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Yorkfield; the lowest is in northeastern Yorkfield, where just 6% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Yorkfield
60.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern Yorkfield
59.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Yorkfield
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Yorkfield
51.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern Yorkfield
50.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Yorkfield sounds about 100% louder than in northeastern Yorkfield, a 10.0 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 Saylor Ave do you need to be?
Saylor Ave produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
41 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 14% of Yorkfield sits under tree canopy (about average for neighborhoods) and roughly 50% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) sits north of Yorkfield. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Yorkfield, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Yorkfield
The bar chart below shows the share of Yorkfield residents in each noise band. About 76% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 4% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Yorkfield Compares
Yorkfield sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how Yorkfield's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Edmund F Burton, West Garfield Park, Samuel A Rothermel, and Grayland.
Average noise level (dBA)
Yorkfield's 51.9 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Illinois as a whole averages 52.6 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Yorkfield because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 17.6% of Yorkfield 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, 19.8% of Yorkfield's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Illinois average of 29.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Yorkfield
- 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 Saylor 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 14% of Yorkfield is under tree cover (about average for neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is low-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. Chicago O'Hare International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
