How Loud Is My Street?Road, rail and plane noise at any Northern Virginia address
Type an address. See the 24-hour average of traffic, rail and airplane noise there, in decibels, from the US DOT noise map, and what it means for living there.
Jets on final approach near Dulles· Near Dulles Airport, Loudoun County
Noise: US DOT / BTS National Transportation Noise Map, 2020. Pictures: artist’s renderings of real places.
Check an address
Type an address. See how loud it is.
Your location stays on your device: it is read on the map here and never sent or saved.
Pick the address from the list. The page reads the noise map at that spot, then shows the map around it with highways, rail lines and flight paths colored by loudness.
Updated October 22, 2026Noise map: US DOT / BTS, 2020 editionAbout a 2-minute read, under the tool
Quick answer
Type a home address and the page reads the US DOT National Transportation Noise Map at that spot: the 24-hour average of road, rail and airplane noise in decibels (dB), a plain label from “quiet” to “very loud”, and the loudest level within about a block.1 Under 45 dB means no highway, busy road, rail or flight path noise reaches the spot on the map. Across the 46 towns in this guide, Lovettsville has the most land under 50 dB (99%) and City of Alexandria the least (58%).
Northern Virginia noise in six numbers
US DOT / BTS National Transportation Noise Map, 2020; 46 towns in this guide
Share of land: the town’s area as its page in this guide draws it. The noise map is a model of 2020 traffic, trains and flights, not a measurement at your house.
What the numbers mean
From quiet to very loud: the seven levels on the map.
Each level is the average sound over a whole day and night, in decibels (dB). Every 10 dB step sounds about twice as loud. The colors match the map.
- Under 45 dBQuiet. No highway, busy road, rail line or flight path noise reaches this spot on the map.
- 45 to 50 dBLow. A faint hum from traffic or planes some distance away.
- 50 to 55 dBModerate. A busy road, rail line or flight path is near enough to hear outdoors.
- 55 to 60 dBNoticeable. Close to a busy road, rail line or flight path.
- 60 to 70 dBLoud. Beside a major road or highway, a rail line, or under a busy flight path.
- 70 to 80 dBVery loud. Right next to a highway or a runway.
- 80 dB and upExtremely loud. On or at the edge of the highway or runway itself.
Tap a level to see where it is on the map, and the streets with the longest stretches at that level.
Street names: US Census TIGER roads. Levels: US DOT / BTS noise map, 2020, read every 20 m along each street. Names only, never house numbers.
For scale: the EPA’s 1974 Levels Document named 55 dB, as a day-night average outdoors, as the level that protects health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety where people live.3
The 46 towns, quietest first
Which Northern Virginia towns are quietest?
The share of each town’s land under 50 dB, and the share at 60 dB or more, on the same map. The Quiet score is the town’s rank among the 46 (10 = quietest); tap a town for its seven ratings.
| # | Town | Land under 50 dB | 60 dB or more | Quiet score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lovettsville | 99% | 0% | 10 / 10 |
| 2 | Middleburg | 99% | 0% | 10 / 10 |
| 3 | Waterford | 99% | 0% | 10 / 10 |
| 4 | Round Hill | 98% | 1% | 9 / 10 |
| 5 | Purcellville | 98% | 1% | 9 / 10 |
| 6 | Great Falls | 98% | 1% | 9 / 10 |
| 7 | Nokesville | 98% | 1% | 9 / 10 |
| 8 | Triangle | 97% | 1% | 8 / 10 |
| 9 | Aldie | 96% | 1% | 8 / 10 |
| 10 | Haymarket | 96% | 2% | 8 / 10 |
| 11 | Oakton | 95% | 1% | 8 / 10 |
| 12 | Hamilton | 95% | 2% | 8 / 10 |
| 13 | Fairfax Station | 95% | 2% | 7 / 10 |
| 14 | Clifton | 95% | 2% | 7 / 10 |
| 15 | Gainesville | 93% | 3% | 7 / 10 |
| 16 | City of Fairfax | 92% | 2% | 7 / 10 |
| 17 | Lorton | 92% | 3% | 6 / 10 |
| 18 | Bristow | 92% | 3% | 6 / 10 |
| 19 | Manassas (Prince William County) | 91% | 3% | 6 / 10 |
| 20 | Woodbridge | 91% | 3% | 6 / 10 |
| 21 | Dumfries | 91% | 3% | 6 / 10 |
| 22 | Lansdowne | 91% | 4% | 5 / 10 |
| 23 | Cascades | 90% | 5% | 5 / 10 |
| 24 | Leesburg | 90% | 2% | 5 / 10 |
| 25 | Herndon | 90% | 3% | 5 / 10 |
| 26 | Annandale | 89% | 4% | 4 / 10 |
| 27 | Broadlands | 89% | 3% | 4 / 10 |
| 28 | Alexandria (Fairfax County) | 89% | 4% | 4 / 10 |
| 29 | City of Falls Church | 88% | 1% | 4 / 10 |
| 30 | Vienna | 88% | 4% | 4 / 10 |
| 31 | Fairfax (Fairfax County) | 88% | 5% | 3 / 10 |
| 32 | Reston | 87% | 5% | 3 / 10 |
| 33 | McLean | 87% | 5% | 3 / 10 |
| 34 | Falls Church (Fairfax County) | 84% | 6% | 3 / 10 |
| 35 | Centreville | 84% | 6% | 2 / 10 |
| 36 | Springfield | 83% | 6% | 2 / 10 |
| 37 | Burke | 83% | 6% | 2 / 10 |
| 38 | City of Manassas Park | 83% | 4% | 2 / 10 |
| 39 | South Riding | 80% | 3% | 2 / 10 |
| 40 | Ashburn | 77% | 4% | 1 / 10 |
| 41 | Brambleton | 76% | 1% | 1 / 10 |
| 42 | City of Manassas | 76% | 5% | 1 / 10 |
| 43 | Arlington | 66% | 11% | 1 / 10 |
| 44 | Chantilly | 65% | 4% | 0 / 10 |
| 45 | Sterling | 60% | 10% | 0 / 10 |
| 46 | City of Alexandria | 58% | 9% | 0 / 10 |
Town areas: the same Census town or ZIP code areas each town page uses. A town can be quiet overall and still have a loud street, and the other way around: check the address.
What the map counts
A model of traffic, trains and planes, not a microphone.
Counted
- Roads in the federal highway traffic data: interstates, highways and many busier local roads.
- Rail: Metro, VRE, Amtrak and freight lines.
- Aircraft at Dulles, Reagan National and other airports, from FAA models.
- Averaged over 24 hours, for the year 2020.
Not counted
- Neighbors, dogs, leaf blowers, schools and shopping centers.
- Construction, new roads and new flight paths since 2020.
- Quiet local streets, which show as under 45 dB.
- Walls, berms and trees in detail: the grid is about 30 m.
So use it to rule a street in or out, then visit at rush hour and on a weekend evening.
Questions
What people ask about noise and buying a home.
How can I tell if a house in Northern Virginia is on a quiet street?
Type the address into the box on this page. It reads the US DOT National Transportation Noise Map at that spot and shows the 24-hour average of road, rail and airplane noise in decibels, what that level means, and the loudest level within about a block. Then visit at rush hour and on a weekend evening: the map is a model, your ears are the test.
What noise does the map count?
Transportation only: roads in the federal highway traffic data (interstates, highways and many busier local roads), rail lines and aircraft, averaged over 24 hours, for 2020. It does not count neighbors, dogs, leaf blowers, construction, schools or shopping centers, and very quiet local streets are not modeled, so they show as under 45 dB.
What is a quiet level for a home?
On this map, under 45 dB means no highway, busy road, rail or flight path noise reaches the spot. For scale, the EPA's 1974 noise Levels Document named 55 dB, as a day-night average outdoors, as the level that protects people's health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety in residential areas. Each 10 dB step sounds about twice as loud.
Which Northern Virginia towns are the quietest?
By share of land under 50 dB on the same map, the quietest towns in this guide are Lovettsville, Middleburg, Waterford. The loudest are Chantilly, Sterling, City of Alexandria, where highways, the Metro and VRE lines or a flight path cross more of the town. The full list is on this page.
Are the airport flight paths included?
Yes. The map includes aircraft noise from the FAA's models for airports, including Dulles and Reagan National, averaged over 24 hours for 2020. Flight paths and schedules change, so a home near Dulles is worth a visit at different hours. This guide's Airport Noise Map page checks an address against the official airport noise zones around Dulles, Reagan National and Leesburg.
Is my address saved?
No. The address goes to Virginia's own address service (VGIN) to find the spot on the map, and the noise reading happens in your browser from map tiles on this site. Nothing typed is stored.
Your next step
Found a quiet street? Now the house.
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Home valuationPriced on evidence.
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