Noise Levels in 78040, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across 78040
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
7,182
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
78% of 78040 residents
78 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 78040 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 7,182 78040 residents, or 77.8%, live above that level. By land area, 77.5% of 78040 is above 55 dBA.
22.5% below 55 dBA
77.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 78040 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 78040
Average noise levels for 78040 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 78040. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 78040; the lowest is in eastern 78040, where just 98% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 78040
61.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 78040
61.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 78040
59.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 78040
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 78040
57.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 78040 sounds about 34% louder than in eastern 78040, a 4.2 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 US Hwy 83 do you need to be?
US Hwy 83 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
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 1% of 78040 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 54% 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 78040. 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 78040
The bar chart below shows the share of 78040 residents in each noise band. About 19% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 22% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 78040 Compares
78040 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 78040's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 78043, 78041, 78046, and 78045.
Average noise level (dBA)
78040's 57.5 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 78040 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 77.8% of 78040 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, 77.5% of 78040'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 78040
- 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 US Hwy 83 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 1% of 78040 is under tree cover (much 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.
