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Washington Heights (South) noise map: how loud is it?
Washington Heights (South) is one of New York's louder neighborhoods: 11% of residents live with average-day transportation noise of 60 dB or more — road, rail and aviation combined — which ranks it the 38th-loudest of 197 New York neighborhoods. The map below shows how that noise concentrates along its busiest corridors.
Last updated:
| Rank in New York (of 197 neighborhoods) | #38 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 11% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 4.3% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 88.9% |
| Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) | 68,738 |
| Census tracts mapped | 16 |
Washington Heights (South) is home to about 68,738 residents across 16 census tracts. 11% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 4.3% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 88.9% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Washington Heights (South) #38 of 197 New York neighborhoods, louder than most New York neighborhoods. Among New York neighborhoods it sits just below Mount Hope (#37) and just above Upper East Side-Yorkville (#39).
The exposure is not spread evenly. The 4.3% 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 Washington Heights (South).
Washington Heights (South) noise: the specifics
- Ranks #38 of 197 New York neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 11% of Washington Heights (South)'s ~68,738 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 4.3% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 88.9% 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.
- #38 of 197 — see the full New York ranking.
What share of Washington Heights (South) residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
11% of Washington Heights (South) residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 4.3% are above 70 dB — ranking Washington Heights (South) #38 of 197 New York neighborhoods by noise exposure.
How Washington Heights (South) 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 Washington Heights (South). 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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