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The loudest cities in Kentucky, ranked by noise exposure
2 Kentucky cities make the measured federal noise ranking. Louisville leads with 6.6% of residents above 60 dB of road, rail and aviation noise, while half the state's ranked cities fall at or below 6.4%.
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| Kentucky # | City | US # | ≥60 dB | ≥70 dB | 45–60 dB | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville | 59 | 6.6% | 1.3% | 39% | 628,044 |
| 2 | Lexington-Fayette | 69 | 6.2% | 1.2% | 27.5% | 322,200 |
Kentucky's 2 ranked cities are home to 950,244 residents. By share above 60 dB the field reads Louisville (6.6%), Lexington-Fayette (6.2%), ending at Lexington-Fayette (6.2%). The median lands at 6.4%, and 0 of 2 sit above the 10% line. Louisville carries the state's worst severe exposure — 1.3% of residents above 70 dB, the hearing-risk threshold — while Louisville, the largest at 628,044 people, ranks #59 nationally at 6.6%. Behind Louisville's headline 6.6%, 1.3% of its residents are in the severe 70 dB+ band and 39% in the moderate 45–60 dB range.
All of it is measured: the BTS 2020 noise map over ACS 2016–2020 population, aggregated to each city by the University of Washington, covering road, rail and aviation. Open any Kentucky city below for its full census-tract map, then measure your own street with the free live meter.
Which Kentucky cities are the noisiest?
By this federal data the noisiest Kentucky cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail and aviation exposure: Louisville, Lexington-Fayette top the list, led by Louisville at 6.6%. The full ranking is in the table above.
Kentucky noise: the numbers
- 2 Kentucky cities of 100,000+ residents are in the ranking — 32nd-most of any state.
- Loudest: Louisville at 6.6% of residents above 60 dB (national #59 of 297).
- Highest severe exposure: Louisville, 1.3% of residents above 70 dB.
- Median Kentucky city: 6.4% above 60 dB; 0 of 2 clear 10%.
- Combined population of the 2: 950,244 (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.