Noise Levels in 90706, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 90706
Quiet office to normal conversation
32,110
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
44% of 90706 residents
85 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 90706 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 32,110 90706 residents, or 44.2%, live above that level. By land area, 51.9% of 90706 is above 55 dBA.
48.1% below 55 dBA
51.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 90706 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 90706
Average noise levels for 90706 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 90706. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern 90706; the lowest is in eastern 90706, where just 19% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern 90706
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 90706
59.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 90706
58.8 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 90706
53.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 90706
53.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern 90706 sounds about 55% louder than in eastern 90706, a 6.3 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 Artesia Fwy do you need to be?
Artesia Fwy produces an estimated 80 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
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
66 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
50 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 2% of 90706 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 64% 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
Long Beach (Daugherty Field) (LGB) sits south of 90706. 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 55 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 90706, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 90706
The bar chart below shows the share of 90706 residents in each noise band. About 50% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 19% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 90706 Compares
90706 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 90706's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 90650, 90805, 90280, and 90201.
Average noise level (dBA)
90706'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 90706 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 44.2% of 90706 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's fewer than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 51.9% of 90706'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 90706
- 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 Artesia 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 90706 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. Long Beach (Daugherty Field)'s approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
