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Near West Side noise map: how loud is it?
Near West Side is one of Chicago's louder neighborhoods: 30.7% of residents live with average-day transportation noise of 60 dB or more — road, rail and aviation combined — which ranks it the 6th-loudest of 77 Chicago neighborhoods. The map below shows how that noise concentrates along its busiest corridors.
Last updated:
| Rank in Chicago (of 77 neighborhoods) | #6 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 30.7% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 8% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 69.3% |
| Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) | 62,787 |
| Census tracts mapped | 44 |
Near West Side is home to about 62,787 residents across 44 census tracts. 30.7% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 8% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 69.3% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Near West Side #6 of 77 Chicago neighborhoods, well above the typical Chicago neighborhood. Among Chicago neighborhoods it sits just below Garfield Ridge (#5) and just above Burnside (#7).
The exposure is not spread evenly. The 8% in the 70 dB-plus band are the households packed right against a freeway, rail corridor or flight path, while blocks a few streets inland fall away fast. On the map that reads as a bright ribbon of noise tracing the corridor through Near West Side.
Near West Side noise: the specifics
- Ranks #6 of 77 Chicago neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 30.7% of Near West Side's ~62,787 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 8% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 69.3% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
- Area-weighted across 44 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
- #6 of 77 — see the full Chicago ranking.
What share of Near West Side residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
30.7% of Near West Side residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 8% are above 70 dB — ranking Near West Side #6 of 77 Chicago neighborhoods by noise exposure.
How Near West Side compares
How this is measured
This is a transparent aggregation of federal data, not an estimate: the US DOT 2020 National Transportation Noise Map (road + rail + aviation), paired with Census population by the University of Washington and area-weighted to the Chicago Times boundary for Near West Side. It does not count sirens, construction, nightlife or neighbors, and it resolves busy corridors better than quiet local streets. For your exact spot, measure it with the free online decibel meter →
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