Watertown, SD Noise Levels
How loud is Watertown, SD?
At 52.5 dB(A), Watertown, SD 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 aircraft, well ahead of the other two modes BTS tracks.
Treat this as Watertown's one representative point, not a promise about every block in it, BTS's map wasn't built to resolve individual streets.
Where Watertown'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 Watertown
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 Watertown compares nationally
Watertown ranks 940 of 3,622 measured places nationally, 1 being the loudest this dataset covers. About 23,492 people live there, making it the 1,691th largest place in this dataset.
Checking one address in Watertown
Nothing here substitutes for checking one address in Watertown directly, and BTS's own map lets anyone do that at no cost.
Watertown'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.