UK Towns & Cities Ranked by Noise Level
Environmental noise levels across 100 UK towns and cities, ranked from quietest to noisiest. Click any town to see postcode-level data.
| # | Town/City | County | Avg dB | Rating | Postcodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shrewsbury | Mid Wales | 29 dB | Very Quiet | 25 |
| 2 | Plymouth | Devon | 30 dB | Very Quiet | 35 |
| 3 | Truro | Cornwall | 30 dB | Very Quiet | 23 |
| 4 | Darlington | County Durham | 32 dB | Very Quiet | 17 |
| 5 | Wrexham | North Wales | 32 dB | Very Quiet | 67 |
| 6 | Torquay | Devon | 34 dB | Very Quiet | 14 |
| 7 | Dorchester | Dorset | 35 dB | Very Quiet | 11 |
| 8 | Exeter | Devon | 35 dB | Very Quiet | 33 |
| 9 | Llandrindod Wells | Powys | 35 dB | Very Quiet | 8 |
| 10 | Berwick Upon Tweed | Unknown | 36 dB | Very Quiet | 1 |
| 11 | Carlisle | Cumbria | 36 dB | Very Quiet | 28 |
| 12 | Cornhill On Tweed | Unknown | 36 dB | Very Quiet | 1 |
| 13 | Newcastleton | Unknown | 38 dB | Very Quiet | 1 |
| 14 | Taunton | Somerset | 41 dB | Quiet | 24 |
| 15 | York | North Yorkshire | 43 dB | Quiet | 29 |
| 16 | Harrogate | North Yorkshire | 46 dB | Quiet | 5 |
| 17 | Northampton | Northamptonshire | 47 dB | Quiet | 19 |
| 18 | Hereford | Herefordshire | 48 dB | Quiet | 9 |
| 19 | Bournemouth | Dorset | 49 dB | Quiet | 26 |
| 20 | Blackburn | Lancashire | 50 dB | Moderate | 13 |
| 21 | Ipswich | Suffolk | 50 dB | Moderate | 33 |
| 22 | Lancaster | Lancashire | 50 dB | Moderate | 23 |
| 23 | Bath | Somerset | 51 dB | Moderate | 19 |
| 24 | Hemel Hempstead | Hertfordshire | 52 dB | Moderate | 24 |
| 25 | Newport | Gwent | 52 dB | Moderate | 18 |
| 26 | Cardiff | Cardiff | 54 dB | Moderate | 36 |
| 27 | Colchester | Essex | 54 dB | Moderate | 16 |
| 28 | Worcester | Worcestershire | 54 dB | Moderate | 15 |
| 29 | Blackpool | Lancashire | 55 dB | Moderate | 8 |
| 30 | Gloucester | Gloucestershire | 55 dB | Moderate | 27 |
| 31 | Leicester | Leicestershire | 55 dB | Moderate | 21 |
| 32 | Lincoln | Lincolnshire | 55 dB | Moderate | 13 |
| 33 | Middlesbrough | Teesside | 55 dB | Moderate | 29 |
| 34 | Norwich | Norfolk | 55 dB | Moderate | 35 |
| 35 | Peterborough | Cambridgeshire | 55 dB | Moderate | 35 |
| 36 | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | 55 dB | Moderate | 40 |
| 37 | Bradford | West Yorkshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 24 |
| 38 | Brighton | East Sussex | 56 dB | Moderate | 30 |
| 39 | Cambridge | Cambridgeshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 16 |
| 40 | Chester | Cheshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 24 |
| 41 | Crewe | Cheshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 12 |
| 42 | Doncaster | South Yorkshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 32 |
| 43 | Dudley | West Midlands | 56 dB | Moderate | 14 |
| 44 | Guildford | Surrey | 56 dB | Moderate | 38 |
| 45 | Huddersfield | West Yorkshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 9 |
| 46 | Hull | East Yorkshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 20 |
| 47 | Oldham | Greater Manchester | 56 dB | Moderate | 16 |
| 48 | Oxford | Oxfordshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 26 |
| 49 | Preston | Lancashire | 56 dB | Moderate | 11 |
| 50 | Salisbury | Wiltshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 11 |
| 51 | Stockport | Cheshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 19 |
| 52 | Sutton | Greater London | 56 dB | Moderate | 7 |
| 53 | Swansea | West Wales | 56 dB | Moderate | 51 |
| 54 | Wakefield | West Yorkshire | 56 dB | Moderate | 17 |
| 55 | Wigan | Greater Manchester | 56 dB | Moderate | 8 |
| 56 | Bristol | Bristol | 57 dB | Moderate | 37 |
| 57 | Canterbury | Kent | 57 dB | Moderate | 21 |
| 58 | Coventry | West Midlands | 57 dB | Moderate | 24 |
| 59 | Croydon | Greater London | 57 dB | Moderate | 9 |
| 60 | Derby | Derbyshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 23 |
| 61 | Durham | County Durham | 57 dB | Moderate | 9 |
| 62 | Kingston Upon Thames | Greater London | 57 dB | Moderate | 24 |
| 63 | London | Greater London | 57 dB | Moderate | 171 |
| 64 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 30 |
| 65 | Portsmouth | Hampshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 34 |
| 66 | Reading | Berkshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 30 |
| 67 | Westcliff On Sea | Essex | 57 dB | Moderate | 17 |
| 68 | Stevenage | Hertfordshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 19 |
| 69 | Stoke On Trent | Staffordshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 21 |
| 70 | Telford | Shropshire | 57 dB | Moderate | 13 |
| 71 | Walsall | West Midlands | 57 dB | Moderate | 15 |
| 72 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 57 dB | Moderate | 16 |
| 73 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 58 dB | Moderate | 76 |
| 74 | Bury | Greater Manchester | 58 dB | Moderate | 10 |
| 75 | Bromley | Greater London | 58 dB | Moderate | 8 |
| 76 | Burnham On Crouch | Essex | 58 dB | Moderate | 25 |
| 77 | Halifax | West Yorkshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 7 |
| 78 | Wembley | Greater London | 58 dB | Moderate | 10 |
| 79 | Liverpool | Merseyside | 58 dB | Moderate | 40 |
| 80 | Rochester | Kent | 58 dB | Moderate | 20 |
| 81 | Milton Keynes | Buckinghamshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 26 |
| 82 | Newcastle Upon Tyne | Tyne And Wear | 58 dB | Moderate | 59 |
| 83 | Redhill | Surrey | 58 dB | Moderate | 20 |
| 84 | Sheffield | South Yorkshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 45 |
| 85 | Southampton | Hampshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 23 |
| 86 | St Albans | Hertfordshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 10 |
| 87 | Sunderland | Tyne And Wear | 58 dB | Moderate | 8 |
| 88 | Swindon | Wiltshire | 58 dB | Moderate | 18 |
| 89 | Dartford | Greater London | 59 dB | Moderate | 18 |
| 90 | Ilford | Greater London | 59 dB | Moderate | 11 |
| 91 | Leeds | West Yorkshire | 59 dB | Moderate | 29 |
| 92 | Warrington | Cheshire | 59 dB | Moderate | 16 |
| 93 | Romford | Greater London | 60 dB | Noisy | 20 |
| 94 | Iver | Berkshire | 60 dB | Noisy | 10 |
| 95 | Twickenham | Greater London | 60 dB | Noisy | 19 |
| 96 | Enfield | Greater London | 61 dB | Noisy | 11 |
| 97 | Manchester | Greater Manchester | 61 dB | Noisy | 42 |
| 98 | Southall | Greater London | 63 dB | Noisy | 11 |
| 99 | Watford | Greater London | 64 dB | Noisy | 11 |
| 100 | Luton | Bedfordshire | 65 dB | Noisy | 7 |
Noise Levels Across UK Towns
Environmental noise varies dramatically between UK towns. Cities with major airports, motorway junctions, and industrial zones tend to have the highest average noise levels, while smaller towns in rural counties are generally much quieter.
Each town page shows the noise level for every postcode district within that area, helping you compare neighbourhoods before moving or buying property.
Related Guides
- Browse by county — see county-level noise data
- Flight path checker — check aircraft noise by airport
- Motorway noise — which postcodes are affected
- Noise and house prices — how noise impacts property values
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