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Brooklyn Heights noise map: how loud is it?
Brooklyn Heights sits in the middle of New York's noise range: 9.5% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 51st of 197 New York neighborhoods. Zoom the map below to see which blocks run loud and which stay calm.
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| Rank in New York (of 197 neighborhoods) | #51 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 9.5% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 3.4% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 61.8% |
| Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) | 23,303 |
| Census tracts mapped | 16 |
Brooklyn Heights is home to about 23,303 residents across 16 census tracts. 9.5% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 3.4% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 61.8% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Brooklyn Heights #51 of 197 New York neighborhoods, louder than most New York neighborhoods. Among New York neighborhoods it sits just below Upper West Side (Central) (#50) and just above Gramercy (#52).
Exposure across Brooklyn Heights is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 9.5%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.
Brooklyn Heights noise: the specifics
- Ranks #51 of 197 New York neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 9.5% of Brooklyn Heights's ~23,303 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 3.4% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 61.8% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
- Area-weighted across 16 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
- #51 of 197 — see the full New York ranking.
What share of Brooklyn Heights residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
9.5% of Brooklyn Heights residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 3.4% are above 70 dB — ranking Brooklyn Heights #51 of 197 New York neighborhoods by noise exposure.
How Brooklyn Heights 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 New York Times boundary for Brooklyn Heights. 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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