Noise Levels in 76018, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 76018
Quiet office to normal conversation
6,072
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
41% of 76018 residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 76018 at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 6,072 76018 residents, or 40.7%, live above that level. By land area, 42.0% of 76018 is above 55 dBA.
58.0% below 55 dBA
42.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 76018 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 76018
Average noise levels for 76018 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 76018. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 76018; the lowest is in eastern 76018, where just 31% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northern 76018
58.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 76018
57.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 76018
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 76018
55.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 76018
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 76018 sounds about 30% louder than in eastern 76018, a 3.8 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from I-20 do you need to be?
I-20 produces an estimated 79 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 8% of 76018 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 50% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
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Airport Noise
Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) sits north of 76018. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 80 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 76018, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 76018
The bar chart below shows the share of 76018 residents in each noise band. About 57% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 10% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 76018 Compares
76018 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 76018's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 76011, 76015, 76006, and 75116.
Average noise level (dBA)
76018's 54.2 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 76018 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 40.7% of 76018 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 42.0% of 76018's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 76018
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from I-20 and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 8% of 76018 is under tree cover (lighter than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is medium-intensity developed land. Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. Dallas-Fort Worth International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
