Decibel Shield
US cities › New Jersey › Paterson
Paterson noise map: where the city is loudest
In Paterson, New Jersey, 5% of residents live with average-day transportation noise of 60 dB or louder — road, rail and aviation combined. That ranks Paterson #122 of 297 US cities of 100,000+ people, above the national median. The map below colors all 40 census tracts by exposure, from the quietest blocks to the loudest.
Last updated:
Find your street on the interactive map → Pan and zoom to your own block, type any US address, or use your location.
| US rank (of 297 cities, 100k+ pop) | #122 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 5% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 1.3% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 60.2% |
| Population (ACS 2016–2020) | 145,484 |
| Census tracts mapped | 40 |
Paterson's 40 census tracts span the full range of the federal noise map. Of its 145,484 residents, 5% are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 1.3% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts damaging hearing. A further 60.2% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. Overall the city ranks #122 of 297, above the national median.
Among New Jersey's 4 cities of 100,000+ residents, Paterson is the 4th-loudest. Nationally it sits just below Knoxville, TN (#121) and just above Detroit, MI (#123).
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 Paterson 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.
Paterson noise: the specifics
- Ranks #122 of 297 US cities (100k+ pop) by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 5% of Paterson's 145,484 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 1.3% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 60.2% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
- Computed across 40 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
- 5% of residents above 60 dB ranks #122 of 297 US cities — see the full measured ranking.
What share of Paterson residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
5% of Paterson residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 1.3% are above 70 dB — ranking Paterson #122 of 297 US cities by noise exposure.
How Paterson ranks
- #4 of 4 New Jersey cities in-state
- Louder: Knoxville, TN #121
- Quieter: Detroit, MI #123
Cities near Paterson
The nearest ranked cities to Paterson, each with its own share of residents above 60 dB for a like-for-like comparison.
- Newark, NJ 8.9% ≥60 dB
- Jersey City, NJ 5.3% ≥60 dB
- Yonkers, NY 6.9% ≥60 dB
- Elizabeth, NJ 13.8% ≥60 dB
How this map is made
This is a transparent aggregation of federal data, not an estimate: the BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map (road + rail + aviation) overlaid with Census ACS 2016–2020 population at tract level, clipped to the city boundary. Full methodology, limitations and the free CSV/JSON are on the US cities noise ranking. Remember what it doesn’t count: sirens, construction, nightlife and neighbors are outside the model.
License: this Paterson noise map and its underlying numbers are published under CC BY 4.0 — reuse or republish the map or the figures anywhere with attribution to decibelshield.app (source: BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map × Census ACS; basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO). Download the full dataset (CSV · JSON) or the full-resolution Paterson map image.
How loud is your block?
The map above shows averages by tract — your street is its own story. Measure it with the free online decibel meter → No install, nothing recorded.
Want to see the modeled road, rail and aircraft noise street by street? Open the interactive noise map zoomed to Paterson → Pan and zoom to your own neighborhood, type your address to check a specific spot, or use your location.
← All New Jersey cities · All 297 US cities ranked · World city sound map