US citiesTexasRichardson

Richardson noise map: where the city is loudest

In Richardson, Texas, 3.3% of residents live with average-day transportation noise of 60 dB or louder — road, rail and aviation combined. That ranks Richardson #235 of 297 US cities of 100,000+ people, below the national median — quieter than most big US cities. The map below colors all 32 census tracts by exposure, from the quietest blocks to the loudest.

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Census-tract noise map of Richardson, TX, shown over a street basemap: tracts colored green (few residents above 60 dB transportation noise) to red (half or more residents above 60 dB). The loudest tracts follow Richardson's busiest road, rail and flight corridors.
Every census tract colored by the share of its residents exposed to ≥60 dB average-day transportation noise — real values per tract from the federal BTS 2020 noise map, no interpolation. Gray areas have no residential data. Streets, water and place names © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO.

Find your street on the interactive map → Pan and zoom to your own block, type any US address, or use your location.

Richardson noise exposure at a glance
US rank (of 297 cities, 100k+ pop) #235
Residents above 60 dB 3.3%
Residents above 70 dB 0.8%
Residents in the 45–60 dB band 19.3%
Population (ACS 2016–2020) 110,274
Census tracts mapped 32

Richardson's 32 census tracts span the full range of the federal noise map. Of its 110,274 residents, 3.3% are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 0.8% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts damaging hearing. A further 19.3% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. Overall the city ranks #235 of 297, below the national median — quieter than most big US cities.

Among Texas's 37 cities of 100,000+ residents, Richardson is the 33rd-loudest. Nationally it sits just below Round Rock, TX (#234) and just above Syracuse, NY (#236).

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 Richardson 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.

Richardson noise: the specifics

  • Ranks #235 of 297 US cities (100k+ pop) by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
  • 3.3% of Richardson's 110,274 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
  • 0.8% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 19.3% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
  • Computed across 32 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
  • 3.3% of residents above 60 dB ranks #235 of 297 US cities — see the full measured ranking.

What share of Richardson residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?

3.3% of Richardson residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 0.8% are above 70 dB — ranking Richardson #235 of 297 US cities by noise exposure.

How Richardson ranks

Cities near Richardson

The nearest ranked cities to Richardson, each with its own share of residents above 60 dB for a like-for-like comparison.

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 Richardson 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 Richardson 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 Richardson → Pan and zoom to your own neighborhood, type your address to check a specific spot, or use your location.

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