Mason City, IA Noise Levels
How loud is Mason City, IA?
At 47.5 dB(A), Mason City, IA falls 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. The main source is rail traffic, well ahead of the other two modes BTS tracks. That figure is sampled at one coordinate, the Census Bureau's own internal point for Mason City, not a street-by-street survey of the whole place.
Where Mason City'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 Mason City
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.
How Mason City compares nationally
Mason City ranks 2,040 of 3,622 measured places nationally, 1 being the loudest this dataset covers. Population is about 26,948, 1,483th largest of the 12,137 places covered here.
Checking one address in Mason City
Nothing here substitutes for checking one address in Mason City directly, and BTS's own map lets anyone do that at no cost.
Mason City'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 rail traffic calls for a different fix than the other two sources.