Noise Levels in 78738, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 78738
Quiet office
2,989
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
16% of 78738 residents
72 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 78738 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 2,989 78738 residents, or 16.4%, live above that level. By land area, 16.3% of 78738 is above 55 dBA.
83.7% below 55 dBA
16.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 78738 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 78738
Average noise levels for 78738 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 78738. The highest population-weighted average is in central 78738; the lowest is in southwestern 78738, where just 5% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Central 78738
55.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 78738
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 78738
50.7 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southern 78738
46.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southwestern 78738
46.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in central 78738 sounds about 87% louder than in southwestern 78738, a 9.0 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 72 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
72 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
59 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
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 18% of 78738 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 32% 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
Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) sits southeast of 78738. 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 78738, 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 78738
The bar chart below shows the share of 78738 residents in each noise band. About 82% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 78738 Compares
78738 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 78738's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 78734, 78735, 78620, and 78737.
Average noise level (dBA)
78738's 50.3 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 78738 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 16.4% of 78738 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, 16.3% of 78738'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 78738
- 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 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 18% of 78738 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. Austin-Bergstrom International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
