Des Moines, WA Noise Levels
How loud is Des Moines, WA?
BTS only publishes Des Moines, WA in the 60-69.9 dB(A) band, which straddles HUD's own dividing line: depending on exactly where in that range the true 24-hour average falls, this reads as "Acceptable" (65 dB(A) or below) or "Normally Unacceptable" (65-75 dB(A)) under 24 CFR 51.104. The main source is aircraft, well ahead of the other two modes BTS tracks. That's the reading at Des Moines's Census-defined center point, not any one street, BTS's map is a live raster, not a per-address service.
Where Des Moines's noise comes from
BTS models these three sources separately before combining them, so a place can be quiet on two and loud on the third.
If you're weighing a move to Des Moines
Depending on where in that band the true value sits, it may also clear FHWA's 66 dB(A) residential impact threshold (23 CFR 772, Table 1), the trigger highway agencies use for sound-wall decisions. Aircraft noise is intermittent and lower-frequency, which is why FAA’s Part 150 program funds whole-envelope sound insulation for homes inside an airport’s own mapped noise contour rather than relying on window replacement alone.
How Des Moines compares nationally
Des Moines ranks 111 of 3,622 measured places nationally, 1 being the loudest this dataset covers. Population is about 33,207, 1,241th largest of the 12,137 places covered here.
Checking one address in Des Moines
Nothing here substitutes for checking one address in Des Moines directly, and BTS's own map lets anyone do that at no cost.
Des Moines's number isn't a one-off calculation, it comes from the same method covered in the methodology guide. The guide to what actually cuts each kind of noise explains why aircraft calls for a different fix than the other two sources.