Noise Levels in 79925, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 79925
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
11,710
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
49% of 79925 residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 79925 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 11,710 79925 residents, or 48.6%, live above that level. By land area, 49.6% of 79925 is above 55 dBA.
50.4% below 55 dBA
49.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 79925 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 79925
Average noise levels for 79925 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 79925. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 79925; the lowest is in northeastern 79925, where just 35% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 79925
65.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 79925
64.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 79925
55.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 79925
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 79925
54.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 79925 sounds about 108% louder than in northeastern 79925, a 10.6 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 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 79925 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 60% 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
El Paso International (ELP) sits northwest of 79925. 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 85 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 79925, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 79925
The bar chart below shows the share of 79925 residents in each noise band. About 49% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 21% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 79925 Compares
79925 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 79925's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 79915, 79907, 79927, and 79904.
Average noise level (dBA)
79925's 56.3 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 79925 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 48.6% of 79925 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, 49.6% of 79925'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 79925
- 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 0% of 79925 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.
- Airport noise is directional. El Paso International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
