Growing disparities in transportation noise exposure across major US cities over time

Abstract

This study offers a comprehensive assessment of the dynamic changes in transportation-related noise exposure among six racial-ethnic groups across 31 metropolitan divisions in the United States. Our findings indicate that the variation in noise exposure within cities significantly surpasses variation between cities. Moreover, population-weighted transportation noise exposures have increased from 2016 to 2020, particularly for minority racial-ethnic groups. Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders experience the most pronounced disparities in noise exposures. The disparity becomes even more acute in high noise conditions (exceeding 65 dB), with all minor racial-ethnic groups facing higher-than-average noise exposures. Our study highlights the increasing significance of transportation noise exposure in US cities, with a disproportionately adverse impact on minority racial-ethnic groups. These findings underscore the critical need to address the unequal exposure to transportation noise experienced by vulnerable populations.