Noise Levels in 90254, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across 90254
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
8,955
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
65% of 90254 residents
74 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 90254 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 8,955 90254 residents, or 64.6%, live above that level. By land area, 70.3% of 90254 is above 55 dBA.
29.7% below 55 dBA
70.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 90254 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 90254
Average noise levels for 90254 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 90254. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 90254; the lowest is in western 90254, where just 14% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 90254
62.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northeastern 90254
61.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 90254
56.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 90254
51.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western 90254
49.6 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in eastern 90254 sounds about 139% louder than in western 90254, a 12.6 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 74 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
74 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
60 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 2% of 90254 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 72% 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 north of 90254. 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 90254, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 90254
The bar chart below shows the share of 90254 residents in each noise band. About 31% 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 90254 Compares
90254 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 90254's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 90245, 90502, 90232, and 90305.
Average noise level (dBA)
90254's 56.9 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 90254 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 64.6% of 90254 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, 70.3% of 90254'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 90254
- 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 2% of 90254 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 north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
