Noise Levels in 77005, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 77005
Quiet office to normal conversation
4,511
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
36% of 77005 residents
65 dBA
Loudest residential point
Busy restaurant
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 77005 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 4,511 77005 residents, or 35.6%, live above that level. By land area, 45.7% of 77005 is above 55 dBA.
54.3% below 55 dBA
45.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 77005 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 77005
Average noise levels for 77005 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 77005. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 77005; the lowest is in southwestern 77005, where just 30% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 77005
57.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 77005
56.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 77005
55.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern 77005
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 77005
53.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 77005 sounds about 38% louder than in southwestern 77005, a 4.6 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 65 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
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
165 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 12% of 77005 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 47% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 77005. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
Airport Noise
William P Hobby (HOU) sits southeast of 77005. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 77005, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 77005
The bar chart below shows the share of 77005 residents in each noise band. About 60% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 2% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 77005 Compares
77005 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 77005's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 77009, 77401, 77027, and 77098.
Average noise level (dBA)
77005's 53.3 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 77005 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 35.6% of 77005 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 45.7% of 77005'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 77005
- 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 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 12% of 77005 is under tree cover (lighter than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-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. William P Hobby's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
