Noise Levels in 78023, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 78023
Quiet office
2,872
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
14% of 78023 residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 78023 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 2,872 78023 residents, or 14.0%, live above that level. By land area, 13.3% of 78023 is above 55 dBA.
86.7% below 55 dBA
13.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 78023 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 78023
Average noise levels for 78023 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 78023. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 78023; the lowest is in northern 78023, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 78023
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 78023
56.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 78023
49.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northwestern 78023
46.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northern 78023
42.1 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 78023 sounds about 256% louder than in northern 78023, a 18.3 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 16 do you need to be?
State Hwy 16 produces an estimated 55 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
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
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 24% of 78023 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 29% 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
San Antonio International (SAT) sits east of 78023. 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 78023, particularly to the west, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 78023
The bar chart below shows the share of 78023 residents in each noise band. About 85% 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 78023 Compares
78023 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 78023's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 78238, 78201, 78213, and 78237.
Average noise level (dBA)
78023's 50.0 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 78023 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 14.0% of 78023 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, 13.3% of 78023'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 78023
- 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 16 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 24% of 78023 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. San Antonio International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
