New York City’s Noisiest Neighborhoods

With nearly 30,000 residents per square mile, New York City makes a lot of noise. In fact, a 2012 study by the National Institutes of Health found that a “substantial fraction” of residents may even be at risk of hearing loss from noise exposure.

Where does the racket frustrate New Yorkers most? A look at the city’s 311 logs offers clues.

Using 311, New Yorkers can file noise complaints and report violations of the noise code to the appropriate agencies. (Categories include loud neighbors, construction noise, street music, and “aircraft and boats.”) The 311 logs are publicly available via NYC Open Data and include location information, allowing us to determine which of New York City’s 59 community districts were the noisiest last year.

In 2024, New Yorkers called in a total of 753,222 noise complaints. Incredibly, almost 10 percent of them came from residents of Bronx Community District 12, which encompasses several neighborhoods including Williamsbridge and Baychester. Of the 73,014 complaints there, 69,781 concerned residential noise.

George Torres, a manager for Bronx Community District 12, said parties and loud music are common in the area. “Theattitude of the environment up here is very permissive,” he said. “You have businesses that listen to music right on the street.”

Next on the list was Manhattan Community District 12, which includes Washington Heights and Inwood. Residents there submitted 31,982 complaints last year, a third of which were classified as street/sidewalk noise. This neck of northern Manhattan is well acquainted with clatter: The WaHi-Inwood Task Force on Noise, a local residential group, formed in 2020 to address problems caused by outdoor speakers, fireworks and other sources.

Manhattan Community District 7 (Manhattan Valley, the Upper West Side and Lincoln Square) generated 26,369 noise complaints last year, making it the third noisiest district. But here, the majority (14,809) had to do with helicopter noise — the area is directly in the paths of helicopters flying up and down the West Side.

The city’s community districts vary in population and area, so if even your noisy neighborhood didn’t make the top 10, that doesn’t mean you don’t need earplugs.