Noise Levels in 77520, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across 77520
Quiet office to normal conversation
6,094
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
29% of 77520 residents
79 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 77520 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 6,094 77520 residents, or 29.4%, live above that level. By land area, 36.1% of 77520 is above 55 dBA.
63.9% below 55 dBA
36.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 77520 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 77520
Average noise levels for 77520 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 77520. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 77520; the lowest is in western 77520, where just 20% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 77520
59.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 77520
57.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 77520
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 77520
54.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 77520
53.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 77520 sounds about 56% louder than in western 77520, a 6.4 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 146 do you need to be?
State Hwy 146 produces an estimated 76 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
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
61 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
52 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 22% of 77520 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 39% 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 77520. 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
George Bush Intcntl/Houston (IAH) sits northwest of 77520. 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 77520, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 77520
The bar chart below shows the share of 77520 residents in each noise band. About 74% 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 77520 Compares
77520 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 77520's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 77571, 77536, 77523, and 77504.
Average noise level (dBA)
77520's 51.8 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 77520 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 29.4% of 77520 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, 36.1% of 77520'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 77520
- 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 146 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 22% of 77520 is under tree cover (about average for 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. George Bush Intcntl/Houston's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
