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The loudest cities in France, ranked by noise exposure

34 France cities make the measured EEA ranking — the 3rd-most of any European country here. Paris leads with exposed-resident Lden of 55–70 dB, while half the country's ranked cities fall at or below Lden 62.5 dB.

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France agglomerations ranked by measured Lden transport-noise exposure (EU Environmental Noise Directive, 2022 round)
France # City Europe # Lden Lnight Source Population
1 Paris 44 55–70 50–65 Road 7,068,800
2 Versailles 68 55–75 50–65 Road 269,200
3 Angers 70 55–70 50–65 Road 283,200
4 Besancon 71 55–70 50–65 Road 198,250
5 Beauchamp 110 55–70 50–65 Road 270,700
6 Bordeaux 111 55–70 50–65 Road 774,900
7 Le Pecq 120 55–70 50–65 Road 341,300
8 Arras 127 55–70 50–65 Road 110,200
9 Lyon 128 55–70 50–65 Road 1,375,000
10 Grenoble 138 55–70 50–60 Road 451,800
11 Brunoy 140 55–75 50–65 Road 177,800
12 Clermont-Ferrand 141 55–70 50–60 Road 291,800
13 Caen 151 55–70 50–60 Road 268,900
14 Rennes 152 55–70 50–60 Road 444,700
15 Limoges 161 55–70 50–60 Road 211,508
16 Nice 162 55–70 50–60 Road 545,000
17 Orsay 163 55–70 50–65 Road 313,800
18 Saint-Etienne 169 55–70 50–60 Road 408,700
19 Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois 170 55–70 50–65 Road 196,000
20 Trappes 171 55–70 50–65 Road 231,100
21 Marseille 177 55–70 50–60 Road 1,886,800
22 Tours 178 55–70 50–65 Road, Rail 299,100
23 Aubergenville 189 55–70 50–65 Road, Rail 411,100
24 Dunkerque 190 55–70 50–60 Road 203,800
25 Lens 191 55–70 50–65 Road 245,000
26 Reims 192 55–70 50–60 Road 299,100
27 Brest 205 55–70 50–60 Road 213,000
28 Rouen 206 55–70 50–60 Road 499,600
29 Cergy 221 55–70 50–65 Road 205,700
30 Torcy 228 55–70 50–65 Road 228,900
31 Courcouronnes 241 55–70 50–60 Road 347,000
32 Montmorency 242 55–70 50–65 Air, Road 183,100
33 Nantes 243 55–65 50–60 Road 636,000
34 Roissy-en-France 244 55–65 50–60 Air, Road 349,500

France's 34 ranked cities are home to 20,240,358 residents. By exposed-resident Lden the field reads Paris (55–70 dB), Versailles (55–75 dB), Angers (55–70 dB), Besancon (55–70 dB), Beauchamp (55–70 dB), Bordeaux (55–70 dB), Le Pecq (55–70 dB), Arras (55–70 dB), then 26 more, ending at Roissy-en-France (55–65 dB). The median lands near Lden 62.5 dB. Road traffic is the dominant source in all 34. The most populous, Paris at 7,068,800 residents, ranks #44 across Europe with exposed-resident Lden of 55–70 dB. The WHO road-traffic guideline is 53 dB Lden by day and 45 dB Lnight at night, which most of these France cities exceed for their noise-exposed residents.

The figures come straight from the country's END strategic noise maps and the EEA's harmonised 2022 dataset — day-evening-night (Lden) exposure for the noise-affected population only. Lnight, the night-time figure, is the level most closely tied to sleep disturbance, which is why the EU reports it separately from the daytime Lden. Open any France city below for its full figures, then measure your own street with the free live meter.

Which France cities are the noisiest?

By this EEA data the noisiest France cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail, aircraft and industrial exposure: Paris, Versailles, Angers top the list, led by Paris at Lden 55–70 dB (road traffic). The full ranking is in the table above.

France noise: the numbers

  • 34 France agglomerations are in the measured European ranking — 3rd-most of any country here.
  • Loudest: Paris at exposed-resident Lden 55–70 dB (European #44).
  • Quietest ranked: Roissy-en-France at Lden 55–65 dB; median near Lden 62.5 dB.
  • Road traffic is the dominant source in 34 of the 34.
  • Combined population of the 34: 20,240,358.

How this ranking is measured

These are the same measurements behind the European ranking of all 314 cities — the EU Environmental Noise Directive strategic noise maps (road, rail, aircraft and industry), 2022 reporting round, harmonised by the European Environment Agency, with no estimation by us. Lden is the annual-average day-evening-night level; only residents above the 55 dB Lden threshold are reported, so the ranges describe the noise-exposed population.

How loud is your street?

Rankings describe city-wide exposure — your block is its own story. Check it with the free online decibel meter, or open any city above for its full figures.

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