What does this interactive noise map show?

It shows modeled transportation noise for the continental United States from the federal BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map: road, rail and aircraft noise combined into a 24-hour average sound level (LAeq) in decibels (dBA), colored from about 45 dBA up to 90 dBA and above.

Why are some quiet residential streets not colored?

The model maps transportation noise down to a 45 dBA floor and resolves freeways, rail lines and flight paths best. Low-volume local streets are modeled coarsely, so an uncolored block means the modeled level is below 45 dBA, not that it is silent. Sirens, construction, nightlife and neighbors are not in the model.

Is this a measurement of the noise at my house?

No. Every value is a modeled estimate of transportation noise, not a measurement of your specific address. To measure the actual sound level where you are, use the free in-browser decibel meter, which records nothing.

Can I look up the noise level at a specific address?

Yes. Enter a US street address and we geocode it, then read the modeled band at that block from the federal BTS 2020 map (also reporting the loudest band within about 90 metres). It is still a modeled transportation-noise level, not a measurement — and "below 45 dBA" means the address is not next to a modeled freeway, rail line or flight path, which is the model floor rather than silence.

US cities › Explore the map

Explore US transportation noise, block by block

This interactive map shows modeled transportation noise for the continental United States, block by block, from the federal BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map. Enter a US address, tap Find my location, or zoom to any street to read the modeled road, rail and aircraft noise there as a 24-hour average sound level in decibels.

Last updated: June 15, 2026

Use + / − or pinch to zoom; drag to pan.

How to read the map

Brighter, hotter colors are louder. The color at any point is the modeled 24-hour average transportation-noise level (LAeq) in A-weighted decibels (dBA), combining road, rail and aircraft noise. Dark areas sit below the map's 45 dBA floor. The single best signal is contrast: a freeway often runs 15–25 dB louder than a residential street a few hundred feet away, so two blocks that look identical on a road map can be very different here depending on whether a highway or a flight path sits next to them.

What the colors mean

45–50 dBA
50–55 dBA
55–60 dBA
60–70 dBA
70–80 dBA
80–90 dBA
90 dBA and up

What this map does and doesn't capture

This is a transparent view of one federal dataset, not a complete picture of how loud a place feels. It models transportation noise only — road, rail and aviation. It does not include sirens, construction, nightlife, HVAC or neighbors, and it resolves high-volume corridors far better than quiet local streets. Treat it as "which transportation sources dominate near me, and how far they reach," not "the exact decibel level at my front door." For that, measure your own block with the free online decibel meter.

Jump to a city

Open the map centered on a major metro, then zoom to your own neighborhood. Each city also has a static, tract-level noise map and ranking on its own page.

See all 297 US cities ranked by noise exposure →

Browse New York by neighborhood

New York has its own noise page for all 197 neighborhoods, each ranked by the share of residents above 60 dB. The loudest:

#1 Claremont Village-Claremont (East) 40.6% above 60 dB
#2 East Harlem (North) 29.7% above 60 dB
#3 Woodside 29.5% above 60 dB
#4 Rosedale 27.2% above 60 dB
#5 Springfield Gardens (South)-Brookville 25.9% above 60 dB
#6 East Harlem (South) 24.5% above 60 dB
#7 Kew Gardens 21.6% above 60 dB
#8 University Heights (South)-Morris Heights 20.8% above 60 dB
#9 Rego Park 20.1% above 60 dB
#10 Murray Hill-Kips Bay 18.3% above 60 dB

See all 197 New York neighborhoods →

Browse Los Angeles by neighborhood

Los Angeles has its own noise page for all 110 neighborhoods, each ranked by the share of residents above 60 dB. The loudest:

#1 Chinatown 36.9% above 60 dB
#2 Rancho Park 26.4% above 60 dB
#3 Elysian Valley 23.2% above 60 dB
#4 Vermont Vista 21% above 60 dB
#5 Elysian Park 20.7% above 60 dB
#6 Downtown 20% above 60 dB
#7 Cypress Park 18% above 60 dB
#8 Echo Park 17.8% above 60 dB
#9 Broadway-Manchester 17.7% above 60 dB
#10 Harbor Gateway 17.1% above 60 dB

See all 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods →

Browse Chicago by neighborhood

Chicago has its own noise page for all 77 neighborhoods, each ranked by the share of residents above 60 dB. The loudest:

#1 Archer Heights 53.5% above 60 dB
#2 Fuller Park 47.7% above 60 dB
#3 Clearing 47.3% above 60 dB
#4 Armour Square 46.4% above 60 dB
#5 Garfield Ridge 33.5% above 60 dB
#6 Near West Side 30.7% above 60 dB
#7 Burnside 30.3% above 60 dB
#8 Near South Side 29% above 60 dB
#9 Loop 28.2% above 60 dB
#10 Lower West Side 26.1% above 60 dB

See all 77 Chicago neighborhoods →

How this map is made

The colored layer is the US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics National Transportation Noise Map (2020) — a modeled estimate of road, rail and aviation noise, rendered as 24-hour LAeq dBA. The basemap streets, labels and water are © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO. Our full methodology explains how this measured federal layer relates to our other datasets.

Measure your own block

The map is a model. Your street is its own story — run the free online decibel meter to hear what it actually reads right now. One tap, nothing recorded.

All US cities ranked · World city sound map