Noise Levels in 78255, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
49 dBA
Average noise across 78255
Quiet office
1,549
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
14% of 78255 residents
79 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 78255 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 1,549 78255 residents, or 13.7%, live above that level. By land area, 15.3% of 78255 is above 55 dBA.
84.7% below 55 dBA
15.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 78255 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 78255
Average noise levels for 78255 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 78255. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 78255; the lowest is in northwestern 78255, where just 3% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northern 78255
55.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 78255
52.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern 78255
51.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 78255
45.6 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Northwestern 78255
45.3 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in northern 78255 sounds about 97% louder than in northwestern 78255, a 9.8 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-10 do you need to be?
I-10 produces an estimated 78 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
78 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
50 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 20% of 78255 sits under tree canopy (about average for 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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Airport Noise
San Antonio International (SAT) sits southeast of 78255. 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 78255, 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 78255
The bar chart below shows the share of 78255 residents in each noise band. About 86% 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 78255 Compares
78255 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 78255's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 78256, 78257, 78248, and 78231.
Average noise level (dBA)
78255's 49.0 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 78255 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 13.7% of 78255 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, 15.3% of 78255'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 78255
- 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-10 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 20% of 78255 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 southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
