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The loudest cities in Ohio, ranked by noise exposure
6 Ohio cities make the measured federal noise ranking. Cleveland leads with 6.7% of residents above 60 dB of road, rail and aviation noise, while half the state's ranked cities fall at or below 4.3%.
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| Ohio # | City | US # | ≥60 dB | ≥70 dB | 45–60 dB | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland | 58 | 6.7% | 1.7% | 63.9% | 383,665 |
| 2 | Columbus | 151 | 4.6% | 1.4% | 37.1% | 814,474 |
| 3 | Toledo | 163 | 4.5% | 1% | 38% | 268,044 |
| 4 | Dayton | 184 | 4.1% | 0.9% | 37.8% | 146,967 |
| 5 | Akron | 197 | 3.9% | 1.2% | 22.3% | 193,775 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 237 | 3.3% | 0.9% | 39.9% | 305,814 |
Ohio's 6 ranked cities are home to 2,112,739 residents. By share above 60 dB the field reads Cleveland (6.7%), Columbus (4.6%), Toledo (4.5%), Dayton (4.1%), Akron (3.9%), Cincinnati (3.3%), ending at Cincinnati (3.3%). The median lands at 4.3%, and 0 of 6 sit above the 10% line. Cleveland carries the state's worst severe exposure — 1.7% of residents above 70 dB, the hearing-risk threshold — while Columbus, the largest at 814,474 people, ranks #151 nationally at 4.6%. Behind Cleveland's headline 6.7%, 1.7% of its residents are in the severe 70 dB+ band and 63.9% 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 Ohio city below for its full census-tract map, then measure your own street with the free live meter.
Which Ohio cities are the noisiest?
By this federal data the noisiest Ohio cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail and aviation exposure: Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo top the list, led by Cleveland at 6.7%. The full ranking is in the table above.
Ohio noise: the numbers
- 6 Ohio cities of 100,000+ residents are in the ranking — 13th-most of any state.
- Loudest: Cleveland at 6.7% of residents above 60 dB (national #58 of 297).
- Highest severe exposure: Cleveland, 1.7% of residents above 70 dB.
- Median Ohio city: 4.3% above 60 dB; 0 of 6 clear 10%.
- Combined population of the 6: 2,112,739 (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.