Noise Levels in 76021, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 76021
Quiet office to normal conversation
8,302
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
34% of 76021 residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 76021 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 8,302 76021 residents, or 33.8%, live above that level. By land area, 35.6% of 76021 is above 55 dBA.
64.4% below 55 dBA
35.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 76021 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 76021
Average noise levels for 76021 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 76021. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 76021; the lowest is in central 76021, where just 17% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 76021
62.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern 76021
61.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 76021
57.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 76021
52.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 76021
50.9 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 76021 sounds about 116% louder than in central 76021, a 11.1 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 State Hwy 121 do you need to be?
State Hwy 121 produces an estimated 80 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 9% of 76021 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 56% 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 northeast of 76021. 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 76021, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 76021
The bar chart below shows the share of 76021 residents in each noise band. About 64% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 9% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 76021 Compares
76021 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 76021's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 76040, 76039, 76180, and 76182.
Average noise level (dBA)
76021's 53.9 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 76021 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 33.8% of 76021 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 35.6% of 76021'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 76021
- 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 State Hwy 121 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 9% of 76021 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 northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
