Baton Rouge noise map: where the city is loudest

Baton Rouge's 57 census tracts span the full range of the federal noise map. Of its 207,118 residents, 3.5% are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 0.7% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts damaging hearing. A further 25.6% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. Overall the city ranks #220 of 297, below the national median — quieter than most big US cities.

Among Louisiana's 5 cities of 100,000+ residents, Baton Rouge is the 4th-loudest. Nationally it sits just below Pembroke Pines, FL (#219) and just above McKinney, TX (#221).

On the map, green tracts are the quietest and red tracts the loudest, with each colored by the share of its own residents above 60 dB — so you can see exactly which parts of Baton Rouge carry the noise. The loudest tracts track the city's busiest road, rail and flight corridors. These are measured values from the US DOT's 2020 National Transportation Noise Map paired with Census population, aggregated to tracts by the University of Washington — real data per tract, no interpolation and no estimate.

Baton Rouge noise: the specifics

• Ranks #220 of 297 US cities (100k+ pop) by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
• 3.5% of Baton Rouge's 207,118 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
• 0.7% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 25.6% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
• Computed across 57 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
• 3.5% of residents above 60 dB ranks #220 of 297 US cities — see the full measured ranking.