Noise Levels in 77340, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
49 dBA
Average noise across 77340
Quiet office
4,369
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
17% of 77340 residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 77340 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 4,369 77340 residents, or 16.6%, live above that level. By land area, 18.8% of 77340 is above 55 dBA.
81.2% below 55 dBA
18.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 77340 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 77340
Average noise levels for 77340 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 77340. The highest population-weighted average is in central 77340; the lowest is in eastern 77340, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Central 77340
57.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 77340
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 77340
53.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 77340
47.8 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Eastern 77340
47.4 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in central 77340 sounds about 95% louder than in eastern 77340, a 9.6 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 I-45 do you need to be?
I-45 produces an estimated 77 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
77 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 35% of 77340 sits under tree canopy (heavier than most zip codes) and roughly 34% 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 77340. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 77340
The bar chart below shows the share of 77340 residents in each noise band. About 88% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 77340 Compares
77340 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 77340's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 77320, 77356, 77301, and 77316.
Average noise level (dBA)
77340's 48.7 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 77340 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 16.6% of 77340 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, 18.8% of 77340'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 77340
- 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-45 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 35% of 77340 is under tree cover (heavier 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.
