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How quiet is the countryside?

30dBoutdoor ambient level

A quiet rural area is about 30 dB, according to Purdue University's noise comparison chart, which describes it as one-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB. For comparison, the National Park Service says a typical suburb fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBA, and remote Grand Canyon trails can be as low as 20 dBA.

Level
30 dBunweighted sound level
Daily limit
No daily limitNIOSH, at the loud end

What the numbers mean

How it was measured. Outdoor background level in a quiet rural area, from Purdue University's noise comparison chart. Weighting not stated.

Purdue's chart labels the 30 dB row 'one-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB', a reminder that each 10 dB step is perceived as roughly a doubling or halving of loudness. It places a quiet rural area 10 dB below a library (40 dB) and 20 dB below a quiet suburb (50 dB).

Wilder places can be quieter still. The National Park Service gives 20 dBA on some remote trails in Grand Canyon National Park and about 10 dBA in the crater of Haleakalā on Maui. At the other end, the NPS says the din of a typical suburban area fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBA.

Is it safe?

Below 85 dBA, the level NIOSH allows for a full 8-hour day. (This figure is not A-weighted; treat it as a rough guide.) At this level, sound is not a hearing risk however long it lasts, though it can still disturb sleep or concentration.

Protecting your hearing

No protection needed.

Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.

Compared with sounds nearby

Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).

  • Ticking watch (20 dB): this has about 10× its sound energy and sounds about 2.0× as loud.
  • Whisper (20–30 dB): this has about 3.2× its sound energy and sounds about 1.4× as loud.
  • Quiet library (40–44 dB): it has about 16× the sound energy of this and sounds about 2.3× as loud.
  • Ocean waves (60–78 dB): it has about 7,943× the sound energy of this and sounds about 14.9× as loud.

Questions

How many decibels is a quiet countryside?

About 30 dB according to Purdue University's noise comparison chart.

How much quieter is the countryside than a suburb?

Purdue gives 30 dB for a quiet rural area; the National Park Service says a typical suburb fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBA, so 20 to 30 dB louder.

Sources

  1. Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: dB_low/dB_high: 30 dB.Quiet rural area 30Checked 2026-11-02.
  2. Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: body: one-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB.30 One-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB.Checked 2026-11-02.
  3. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: Grand Canyon 20 dBA.Along some remote trails in Grand Canyon National Park, sound levels, at 20 dBA, are softer than a whisper.Checked 2026-11-02.
  4. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body: Haleakala 10 dBA.the crater of Haleakala National Park is intensely quiet, with levels hovering around 10 dBAChecked 2026-11-02.
  5. Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: body/faq: suburban 50 to 60 dBA.While the din of a typical suburban area fluctuates between 50 and 60 dBAChecked 2026-11-02.
  6. Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: body: library 40 dB.Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound 40Checked 2026-11-02.
  7. Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: body: quiet suburb 50 dB.Quiet suburb, conversation at home. Large electrical transformers at 100 ft 50Checked 2026-11-02.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.