Noise Levels in 94086, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across 94086
Quiet office to normal conversation
17,196
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
39% of 94086 residents
100 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 94086 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 17,196 94086 residents, or 38.7%, live above that level. By land area, 45.5% of 94086 is above 55 dBA.
54.5% below 55 dBA
45.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 94086 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 94086
Average noise levels for 94086 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 94086. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 94086; the lowest is in southern 94086, where just 23% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 94086
60.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 94086
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 94086
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 94086
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southern 94086
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 94086 sounds about 60% louder than in southern 94086, a 6.8 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 100 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 busy restaurant.
At source
100 dBA
Power saw
165 ft
86 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
330 ft
78 dBA
City bus interior
660 ft
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
¼ mile
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
½ mile
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 9% of 94086 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 60% 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 94086. 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
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International (SJC) sits east of 94086. 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 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 94086, 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 94086
The bar chart below shows the share of 94086 residents in each noise band. About 62% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 6% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 94086 Compares
94086 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 94086's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 94087, 95008, 95051, and 94303.
Average noise level (dBA)
94086's 54.2 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 94086 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 38.7% of 94086 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, 45.5% of 94086'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 94086
- 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 9% of 94086 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. Norman Y Mineta San Jose International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
