Noise Levels in 92704, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across 92704
Quiet office to normal conversation
29,101
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
40% of 92704 residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 92704 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 29,101 92704 residents, or 39.5%, live above that level. By land area, 47.3% of 92704 is above 55 dBA.
52.7% below 55 dBA
47.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 92704 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 92704
Average noise levels for 92704 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 92704. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 92704; the lowest is in northeastern 92704, where just 38% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southern 92704
60.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central 92704
59.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern 92704
56.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern 92704
56.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 92704
54.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern 92704 sounds about 53% louder than in northeastern 92704, a 6.1 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 87 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 office.
At source
87 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
165 ft
73 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
66 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
58 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
¼ mile
50 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 6% of 92704 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 62% 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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Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 92704. For most blocks the rail-only contribution is small. Combined road-plus-rail noise rarely exceeds road noise on its own. The exceptions are the handful of blocks within roughly a quarter mile of the right-of-way during pass-through hours.
Use the Rail toggle on the map above to isolate rail's contribution from road and aviation.
Airport Noise
John Wayne/Orange County (SNA) sits southeast of 92704. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 92704, particularly to the northwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 92704
The bar chart below shows the share of 92704 residents in each noise band. About 54% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 22% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 92704 Compares
92704 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 92704's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 92703, 92683, 92804, and 92805.
Average noise level (dBA)
92704's 55.4 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 92704 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 39.5% of 92704 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, 47.3% of 92704'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 92704
- 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 6% of 92704 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. John Wayne/Orange County's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
