These are the 10 noisiest states in America. New York isn’t No. 1

New transportation-noise data found a few surprising states near the top of America’s loudest list.

Where you live can have a pretty big effect on how much peace and quiet you actually get.

I recently looked at how affordability, safety, health care, education, and other quality-of-life factors shaped a new ranking of the best states to live in. Noise wasn’t part of that study, but anyone who has lived next to a busy highway, under a flight path, or near a train line knows it can make a noticeable difference in everyday life.

A new analysis from Alpine Hearing Protection looked at transportation noise across the country to determine which states are the noisiest.

The company used data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Transportation Noise Map, which models potential exposure to road, rail, and aviation noise. The dataset uses 2022 aviation and rail data and 2023 road data. The results were then compared with the Environmental Protection Agency’s 55-decibel outdoor benchmark for protecting public health and welfare.

There is an important caveat here: this isn’t a measurement of how loud every corner of a state is. The National Transportation Noise Map is designed to show broader patterns in transportation-related noise exposure, so a state with huge stretches of quiet countryside can still rank surprisingly high.

And there are definitely a few surprises in the top 10.

10. Oregon — 63.72 dB

Oregon rounds out the top 10 with a maximum reported noise level of 63.72 decibels in the analysis.

Considering how much of Oregon is associated with forests, mountains, and a relatively quiet coastline, this one may seem unexpected. But the study is measuring transportation-related noise rather than how peaceful the state feels overall.

9. North Carolina — 64.89 dB

North Carolina comes in just ahead of Oregon at 64.89 decibels.

The state has plenty of places to get away from traffic, particularly in the mountains and along stretches of the coast. But those quieter areas don’t prevent transportation corridors and more populated parts of the state from pushing its maximum noise level into the top 10.

8. North Dakota — 65.66 dB

North Dakota might be the biggest surprise on this entire list.

One of the least densely populated states in the country doesn’t exactly scream “noise,” yet it recorded a maximum of 65.66 decibels in the analysis. It’s also a good example of why this ranking shouldn’t be read as a measure of how noisy an entire state feels; localized transportation noise can have an outsized impact on the result.

7. New York — 66.03 dB

If you expected New York to be fighting for the No. 1 spot, it doesn’t even crack the top five.

New York recorded a maximum of 66.03 decibels. New York City may be famously noisy, but the state also includes a huge amount of rural land, small towns, and quieter areas well outside the city.

6. Arizona — 66.48 dB

Arizona narrowly edges out New York with a maximum reported noise level of 66.48 decibels.

Again, the contrast within the state is pretty dramatic. Arizona has enormous expanses of desert and protected land, but it also has major highways, airports, and fast-growing metropolitan areas that contribute to transportation noise.

5. Florida — 68.26 dB

Florida kicks off the five noisiest states with a maximum reported level of 68.26 decibels.

It’s not particularly hard to imagine where some of that transportation noise comes from. Florida is home to heavily traveled highways, major airports, and some of the country’s busiest tourism destinations, although this analysis does not attempt to pinpoint one specific reason for each state’s ranking.

4. Illinois — 68.98 dB

Illinois lands just outside the top three with a maximum reported level of 68.98 decibels.

Chicago is the obvious transportation hub here, with major highways, two large airports, and an extensive passenger and freight rail network. Since this particular analysis focuses on road, rail, and aviation noise, Illinois ranking near the top isn’t especially surprising.

3. California — 71.08 dB

California is the first state in the ranking to cross 70 decibels, reaching a maximum of 71.08.

Alpine’s analysis found particularly high transportation-noise readings around Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove, which reached 70.27 decibels. Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim reached 67.27 decibels.

California is another state where the ranking needs some context. You can obviously find plenty of peace and quiet in places like the state’s national parks and more remote coastline, but its major population centers also contain some extremely busy roads and airports.

2. Nevada — 75.99 dB

Nevada takes second place with a maximum reported noise level of 75.99 decibels.

Las Vegas, Henderson and Paradise reached 60.79 decibels in the analysis. While most of Nevada is remarkably sparsely populated, Las Vegas alone brings an enormous amount of road and aviation traffic into a relatively concentrated area.

Still, Nevada couldn’t catch the state sitting at No. 1.

1. Texas — 80.65 dB

Texas is the noisiest state in the country according to Alpine’s analysis, reaching 80.65 decibels.

Wichita Falls was identified as the loudest city in Texas and the loudest city in the entire U.S. dataset, reaching 73.59 decibels. Edna reached 68.70 decibels, while the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington urban area reached 63.92 decibels.

With several enormous metropolitan areas, major interstate highways, airports, and plenty of freight transportation, Texas has no shortage of potential transportation noise sources. But even with all of that, I wasn’t expecting it to beat states like New York, California, and Nevada by this much.

Where are the quietest states?

At the opposite end of the ranking, only two states came in at or below the EPA’s 55-decibel outdoor benchmark.

Connecticut was the quietest at 54.85 decibels, while Vermont landed right at 55.

That doesn’t mean you can expect silence everywhere in Connecticut or a constant roar everywhere in Texas. But if transportation noise is something you notice when choosing where to live or travel, the difference between the top and bottom of this ranking is pretty striking.

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