Noise Levels in 78266, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 78266
Quiet office
464
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
8% of 78266 residents
89 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 78266 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 464 78266 residents, or 8.3%, live above that level. By land area, 10.5% of 78266 is above 55 dBA.
89.5% below 55 dBA
10.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 78266 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 78266
Average noise levels for 78266 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 78266. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 78266; the lowest is in northeastern 78266, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 78266
59.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern 78266
58.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 78266
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 78266
50.8 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Northeastern 78266
44.5 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 78266 sounds about 189% louder than in northeastern 78266, a 15.3 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 Loop 1604 do you need to be?
State Loop 1604 produces an estimated 75 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
75 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
61 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
46 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 21% of 78266 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 17% 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.
-->
Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 78266. 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
San Antonio International (SAT) sits southwest of 78266. 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 78266, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 78266
The bar chart below shows the share of 78266 residents in each noise band. About 80% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 11% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 78266 Compares
78266 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 78266's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 78124, 78204, 78225, and 78263.
Average noise level (dBA)
78266's 49.6 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 78266 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 8.3% of 78266 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, 10.5% of 78266'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 78266
- 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 Loop 1604 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 21% of 78266 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 southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
