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The loudest cities in Colorado, ranked by noise exposure
10 Colorado cities make the measured federal noise ranking. Denver leads with 4.1% of residents above 60 dB of road, rail and aviation noise, while half the state's ranked cities fall at or below 2.8%.
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| Colorado # | City | US # | ≥60 dB | ≥70 dB | 45–60 dB | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 183 | 4.1% | 0.9% | 31.6% | 715,878 |
| 2 | Aurora | 227 | 3.4% | 0.6% | 14.2% | 363,332 |
| 3 | Westminster | 231 | 3.4% | 0.7% | 43.6% | 116,335 |
| 4 | Lakewood | 238 | 3.2% | 0.7% | 12.2% | 149,093 |
| 5 | Colorado Springs | 250 | 3.1% | 0.6% | 27.6% | 455,551 |
| 6 | Arvada | 269 | 2.5% | 0.5% | 17.8% | 112,391 |
| 7 | Pueblo | 272 | 2.4% | 0.3% | 60.6% | 107,658 |
| 8 | Thornton | 276 | 2.2% | 0.4% | 11.4% | 143,612 |
| 9 | Fort Collins | 286 | 1.9% | 0.3% | 18.5% | 143,140 |
| 10 | Centennial | 287 | 1.9% | 0.1% | 18.4% | 113,251 |
Colorado's 10 ranked cities are home to 2,420,241 residents. By share above 60 dB the field reads Denver (4.1%), Aurora (3.4%), Westminster (3.4%), Lakewood (3.2%), Colorado Springs (3.1%), Arvada (2.5%), Pueblo (2.4%), Thornton (2.2%), then 2 more, ending at Centennial (1.9%). The median lands at 2.8%, and 0 of 10 sit above the 10% line. Denver carries the state's worst severe exposure — 0.9% of residents above 70 dB, the hearing-risk threshold — while Denver, the largest at 715,878 people, ranks #183 nationally at 4.1%. Behind Denver's headline 4.1%, 0.9% of its residents are in the severe 70 dB+ band and 31.6% in the moderate 45–60 dB range.
Every share is rolled up from per-city tract data: the 2020 BTS noise map paired with ACS population, road plus rail plus aviation, nothing modeled by us. Open any Colorado city below for its full census-tract map, then measure your own street with the free live meter.
Which Colorado cities are the noisiest?
By this federal data the noisiest Colorado cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail and aviation exposure: Denver, Aurora, Westminster top the list, led by Denver at 4.1%. The full ranking is in the table above.
Colorado noise: the numbers
- 10 Colorado cities of 100,000+ residents are in the ranking — 5th-most of any state.
- Loudest: Denver at 4.1% of residents above 60 dB (national #183 of 297).
- Highest severe exposure: Denver, 0.9% of residents above 70 dB.
- Median Colorado city: 2.8% above 60 dB; 0 of 10 clear 10%.
- Combined population of the 10: 2,420,241 (ACS 2016–2020).
How this ranking is measured
These are the same federal measurements behind the national ranking of all 297 US cities — the BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map (road + rail + aviation) overlaid with Census ACS 2016–2020 population at census-tract level, with no estimation by us. Full methodology and the free CSV/JSON are on that page. It counts transportation noise only: sirens, construction and nightlife are outside the model.
How loud is your street?
Rankings describe city averages — your block is its own story. Check it with the free online decibel meter, or open any city above for its full census-tract noise map.