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The loudest cities in Oregon, ranked by noise exposure
4 Oregon cities make the measured federal noise ranking. Portland leads with 7.2% of residents above 60 dB of road, rail and aviation noise, while half the state's ranked cities fall at or below 5.7%.
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| Oregon # | City | US # | ≥60 dB | ≥70 dB | 45–60 dB | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 48 | 7.2% | 1.4% | 40.1% | 650,191 |
| 2 | Gresham | 81 | 5.9% | 0.5% | 44.7% | 113,648 |
| 3 | Salem | 96 | 5.5% | 0.8% | 37.5% | 140,444 |
| 4 | Eugene | 185 | 4.1% | 0.7% | 30.7% | 157,095 |
Oregon's 4 ranked cities are home to 1,061,378 residents. By share above 60 dB the field reads Portland (7.2%), Gresham (5.9%), Salem (5.5%), Eugene (4.1%), ending at Eugene (4.1%). The median lands at 5.7%, and 0 of 4 sit above the 10% line. Portland carries the state's worst severe exposure — 1.4% of residents above 70 dB, the hearing-risk threshold — while Portland, the largest at 650,191 people, ranks #48 nationally at 7.2%. Behind Portland's headline 7.2%, 1.4% of its residents are in the severe 70 dB+ band and 40.1% in the moderate 45–60 dB range.
These are measured federal values, not estimates — the US DOT's 2020 transportation-noise map over Census population, tract by tract, counting road, rail and aviation only. Open any Oregon city below for its full census-tract map, then measure your own street with the free live meter.
Which Oregon cities are the noisiest?
By this federal data the noisiest Oregon cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail and aviation exposure: Portland, Gresham, Salem top the list, led by Portland at 7.2%. The full ranking is in the table above.
Oregon noise: the numbers
- 4 Oregon cities of 100,000+ residents are in the ranking — 24th-most of any state.
- Loudest: Portland at 7.2% of residents above 60 dB (national #48 of 297).
- Highest severe exposure: Portland, 1.4% of residents above 70 dB.
- Median Oregon city: 5.7% above 60 dB; 0 of 4 clear 10%.
- Combined population of the 4: 1,061,378 (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.