Noise Levels in 90019, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 90019
Quiet office to normal conversation
27,297
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
50% of 90019 residents
71 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 90019 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 27,297 90019 residents, or 50.3%, live above that level. By land area, 53.4% of 90019 is above 55 dBA.
46.6% below 55 dBA
53.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 90019 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 90019
Average noise levels for 90019 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 90019. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 90019; the lowest is in southern 90019, where just 64% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 90019
59.2 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 90019
58.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 90019
56.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 90019
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern 90019
55.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 90019 sounds about 33% louder than in southern 90019, a 4.1 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 Santa Monica Fwy do you need to be?
Santa Monica Fwy produces an estimated 56 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
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
165 ft
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
330 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
660 ft
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 2% of 90019 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 70% 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
Los Angeles International (LAX) sits southwest of 90019. 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 90019, 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 90019
The bar chart below shows the share of 90019 residents in each noise band. About 47% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 15% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 90019 Compares
90019 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 90019's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 90034, 90004, 90026, and 90006.
Average noise level (dBA)
90019's 55.6 dBA pop-weighted average is the lowest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 90019 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 50.3% of 90019 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, 53.4% of 90019's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a California average of 36.0% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 90019
- 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 Santa Monica Fwy 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 2% of 90019 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. Los Angeles International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
