Noise Levels in 90240, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
60 dBA
Average noise across 90240
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
15,387
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
68% of 90240 residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 90240 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 15,387 90240 residents, or 68.0%, live above that level. By land area, 68.1% of 90240 is above 55 dBA.
31.9% below 55 dBA
68.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 90240 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 90240
Average noise levels for 90240 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 90240. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern 90240; the lowest is in western 90240, where just 44% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern 90240
71.4 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Eastern 90240
70.3 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern 90240
62.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 90240
58.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 90240
57.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in northeastern 90240 sounds about 155% louder than in western 90240, a 13.5 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 Ana Fwy do you need to be?
Santa Ana Fwy 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 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 6% of 90240 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 61% 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 west of 90240. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 90240, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 90240
The bar chart below shows the share of 90240 residents in each noise band. About 24% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 40% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 90240 Compares
90240 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 90240's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 90270, 90606, 90713, and 91803.
Average noise level (dBA)
90240's 60.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 90240 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 68.0% of 90240 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, 68.1% of 90240'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 90240
- 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 Ana 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 6% of 90240 is under tree cover (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 west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
