Noise Levels in 91205, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across 91205
Quiet office to normal conversation
15,411
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
46% of 91205 residents
81 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 91205 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 15,411 91205 residents, or 46.3%, live above that level. By land area, 52.1% of 91205 is above 55 dBA.
47.9% below 55 dBA
52.1% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 91205 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 91205
Average noise levels for 91205 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 91205. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 91205; the lowest is in southeastern 91205, where just 39% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 91205
62.8 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 91205
61.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern 91205
57.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 91205
54.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern 91205
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in eastern 91205 sounds about 83% louder than in southeastern 91205, a 8.7 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 81 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
81 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
165 ft
67 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
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 3% of 91205 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
Bob Hope (BUR) sits northwest of 91205. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 91205, 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 91205
The bar chart below shows the share of 91205 residents in each noise band. About 48% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 13% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 91205 Compares
91205 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 91205's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 90029, 90065, 90031, and 90005.
Average noise level (dBA)
91205's 55.3 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 91205 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 46.3% of 91205 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, 52.1% of 91205'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 91205
- 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 3% of 91205 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. Bob Hope's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
