Noise Levels in 93926, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across 93926
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,886
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
49% of 93926 residents
79 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 93926 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 3,886 93926 residents, or 49.0%, live above that level. By land area, 33.5% of 93926 is above 55 dBA.
66.5% below 55 dBA
33.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 93926 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 93926
Average noise levels for 93926 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 93926. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 93926; the lowest is in southwestern 93926, where just 13% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northern 93926
65.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 93926
63.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 93926
61.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western 93926
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 93926
51.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern 93926 sounds about 155% louder than in southwestern 93926, a 13.5 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 US Hwy 101 do you need to be?
US Hwy 101 produces an estimated 75 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
75 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 93926 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 44% 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 93926. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 93926
The bar chart below shows the share of 93926 residents in each noise band. About 28% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 48% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 93926 Compares
93926 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 93926's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 93924, 93908, 95012, and 93923.
Average noise level (dBA)
93926's 58.2 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 93926 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 49.0% of 93926 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 33.5% of 93926'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 93926
- 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 US Hwy 101 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 0% of 93926 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.
