Travelers chasing a quiet city to relax in have new data to check before they book. Alpine Hearing Protection pulled road, rail, and aviation noise data for the continental U.S. from the U.S. National Transportation Noise Map, then ranked the 20 noisiest states. It only counts transportation noise, and the top spot went to a state with a single star in its nickname.
Texas Lands Far Past the 55-Decibel Mark
Texas hit a peak of 80.65 decibels. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends 55 decibels for outdoor noise, and the study used that number as its benchmark. That puts Texas 25.65 decibels over the line, the biggest gap in the study and the reason it holds the No. 1 spot. Every other state on the list is judged by the same yardstick.
Wichita Falls Tops Every City Measured
Wichita Falls was the loudest city measured anywhere in the study, at 73.59 decibels, roughly 18.6 above the benchmark. Edna came next at 68.70, and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area logged 63.92. Even that third reading, the lowest of the trio, tops the 55-decibel line by nearly 9 decibels. All three Texas readings land well above the level the EPA recommends.
Where Texas Gets Its Noise
Texas is heavily car-dependent and home to several major urban areas, and its sprawling freeways carry the traffic. Add busy airports in fast-growing cities such as Houston and Dallas, and the transportation noise piles up. The figures cover road, rail, and aviation noise from 2022 and 2023, so what is playing at a venue never makes it into the numbers.
Nevada Gets Loud Where the Visitors Are
Second place goes to Nevada, with a peak of 75.99 decibels, even though it is one of the least densely populated states in the country. Tourism hubs are where the volume can climb. Las Vegas, Henderson, and Paradise hit the state’s highest city-area reading, 60.79 decibels, with a steady stream of visitors adding traffic, taxis, flights, and helicopters. Ely followed at 57.94 and Johnson Lane at 57.75.
California Rounds Out the Top Three
California took third place at 71.08 decibels. The Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove area logged 70.27, the second-highest local reading in the study, while Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim reached 67.27. Busy roads and major airports help explain some of the numbers, particularly around the bigger cities. Big Sur and Yosemite offer a break from the traffic, though getting there can still mean plenty of time on the road.
The Rest of the Top 10
Illinois took fourth and Florida fifth, closing out a top five where big cities, busy highways, airports, and tourism all feed the noise. Arizona came in sixth. New York landed at No. 7, and Time Out thinks the wide stretch of quiet upstate probably balances out New York City’s noise. North Dakota, North Carolina, and Oregon filled out the top ten, in that order.
Ranks 11 Through 20
Ranks 11 through 20 run Washington, Georgia, New Jersey, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan, Kansas, Utah, and Massachusetts. That is a widespread range, running from Washington on the Pacific coast to Massachusetts on the Atlantic. Mountain West states like Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico sit in between, so the noisiest 20 are not clustered in any one corner of the map.
Connecticut and Vermont Keep It Quiet
Connecticut’s peak of 54.85 decibels was the lowest in the study, with Vermont right behind at 55. They were the only two states at or below the EPA’s 55-decibel outdoor benchmark. Next to Texas, Connecticut sits 25.80 decibels lower, and both states fall well under the readings in Nevada and California. Both are New England states, which is where the study’s two quietest readings landed.
What the Numbers Leave Out
The study tracked only noise from roads, railways, and aviation, so nightlife, construction, festivals, and noise from neighboring hotels and businesses never entered the numbers. Statewide figures also can’t separate a remote cabin from a hotel beside a highway, since each state is ranked on a single figure. So what surrounds a property is worth checking before booking, because the view from the room won’t tell you much.
