Noise Levels in 94062, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across 94062
Quiet office to normal conversation
6,719
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
28% of 94062 residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 94062 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 6,719 94062 residents, or 27.6%, live above that level. By land area, 28.2% of 94062 is above 55 dBA.
71.8% below 55 dBA
28.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 94062 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 94062
Average noise levels for 94062 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 94062. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 94062; the lowest is in central 94062, where just 26% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 94062
63.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 94062
59.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 94062
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern 94062
53.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 94062
53.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 94062 sounds about 110% louder than in central 94062, a 10.7 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 I-280 do you need to be?
I-280 produces an estimated 78 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
78 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
46 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 22% of 94062 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 36% 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 94062. 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
San Francisco International (SFO) sits northwest of 94062. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 94062, 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 94062
The bar chart below shows the share of 94062 residents in each noise band. About 75% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 94062 Compares
94062 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 94062's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 94002, 94063, 94070, and 94402.
Average noise level (dBA)
94062's 51.2 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 94062 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 27.6% of 94062 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, 28.2% of 94062'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 94062
- 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 I-280 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 22% of 94062 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is low-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. San Francisco International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
