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The loudest cities in Georgia, ranked by noise exposure
8 Georgia cities make the measured federal noise ranking. Atlanta leads with 7.9% of residents above 60 dB of road, rail and aviation noise, while half the state's ranked cities fall at or below 2.9%.
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| Georgia # | City | US # | ≥60 dB | ≥70 dB | 45–60 dB | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta | 36 | 7.9% | 2.2% | 48.3% | 490,846 |
| 2 | Sandy Springs | 119 | 5.1% | 1.6% | 16.3% | 108,606 |
| 3 | Savannah | 249 | 3.1% | 0.7% | 22.4% | 154,195 |
| 4 | Macon-Bibb County | 259 | 2.9% | 0.9% | 16% | 153,026 |
| 5 | Athens-Clarke County | 260 | 2.9% | 0.6% | 22% | 121,906 |
| 6 | Columbus | 273 | 2.4% | 0.6% | 18.4% | 195,418 |
| 7 | South Fulton | 274 | 2.4% | 0.6% | 59.2% | 102,418 |
| 8 | Augusta-Richmond County | 275 | 2.3% | 0.4% | 13.1% | 197,435 |
Georgia's 8 ranked cities are home to 1,523,850 residents. By share above 60 dB the field reads Atlanta (7.9%), Sandy Springs (5.1%), Savannah (3.1%), Macon-Bibb County (2.9%), Athens-Clarke County (2.9%), Columbus (2.4%), South Fulton (2.4%), Augusta-Richmond County (2.3%), ending at Augusta-Richmond County (2.3%). The median lands at 2.9%, and 0 of 8 sit above the 10% line. Atlanta carries the state's worst severe exposure — 2.2% of residents above 70 dB, the hearing-risk threshold — while Atlanta, the largest at 490,846 people, ranks #36 nationally at 7.9%. Behind Atlanta's headline 7.9%, 2.2% of its residents are in the severe 70 dB+ band and 48.3% in the moderate 45–60 dB range.
Each figure is a transparent aggregation of the 2020 federal noise map and Census population — no estimation, and no credit for sirens, industry or crowds. Open any Georgia city below for its full census-tract map, then measure your own street with the free live meter.
Which Georgia cities are the noisiest?
By this federal data the noisiest Georgia cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail and aviation exposure: Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Savannah top the list, led by Atlanta at 7.9%. The full ranking is in the table above.
Georgia noise: the numbers
- 8 Georgia cities of 100,000+ residents are in the ranking — 8th-most of any state.
- Loudest: Atlanta at 7.9% of residents above 60 dB (national #36 of 297).
- Highest severe exposure: Atlanta, 2.2% of residents above 70 dB.
- Median Georgia city: 2.9% above 60 dB; 0 of 8 clear 10%.
- Combined population of the 8: 1,523,850 (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.