Noise Levels in 91304, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 91304
Quiet office to normal conversation
14,736
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
33% of 91304 residents
71 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 91304 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 14,736 91304 residents, or 32.8%, live above that level. By land area, 33.2% of 91304 is above 55 dBA.
66.8% below 55 dBA
33.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 91304 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 91304
Average noise levels for 91304 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 91304. The highest population-weighted average is in central 91304; the lowest is in northwestern 91304, where just 20% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Central 91304
56.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 91304
56.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern 91304
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 91304
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 91304
51.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in central 91304 sounds about 42% louder than in northwestern 91304, a 5.1 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 71 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
71 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
41 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 3% of 91304 sits under tree canopy (much 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
Bob Hope (BUR) sits east of 91304. 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 91304, particularly to the west, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 91304
The bar chart below shows the share of 91304 residents in each noise band. About 60% 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 91304 Compares
91304 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 91304's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 91306, 91367, 93063, and 91406.
Average noise level (dBA)
91304's 53.5 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 91304 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 32.8% of 91304 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, 33.2% of 91304'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 91304
- 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 91304 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 east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
