Birmingham, AL Noise Levels
Is Birmingham, AL noisy?
Birmingham, AL reads 52.5 dB(A) on BTS's 24-hour average, inside HUD's "Acceptable" noise zone, 65 dB(A) day-night average or below under 24 CFR 51.104, the federal government's own line for building housing with no extra sound attenuation required. Rail traffic drives that number here, not the other two sources. This describes Birmingham as a whole, not a specific block, the underlying BTS map resolves to about 38 meters per pixel, sampled at the town's own center point.
Birmingham's noise, by source
Each of the three transportation modes gets its own model from BTS; the combined figure above is what they add up to.
What this means for a house here
The same window and door upgrades that work on road noise also cut broadband rail noise, though very low-frequency freight rumble travels through walls, not just glass.
Where Birmingham ranks
Among the 3,622 US places in this dataset with any measurable transportation noise, Birmingham ranks 793, loudest first. Population is about 196,357, 134th largest of the 12,137 places covered here.
Your street may differ from Birmingham's reading
This page describes Birmingham as a whole. If one specific address is what matters, BTS publishes the same underlying map for free.
Behind Birmingham's reading
The methodology guide shows exactly how Birmingham's reading was built from BTS's tile data. Since rail traffic is what's driving this reading, the guide to what actually cuts each kind of noise covers the fix that fits.