Noise Levels in 94131, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across 94131
Quiet office to normal conversation
10,788
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
44% of 94131 residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 94131 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 10,788 94131 residents, or 44.5%, live above that level. By land area, 50.5% of 94131 is above 55 dBA.
49.5% below 55 dBA
50.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 94131 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 94131
Average noise levels for 94131 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 94131. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 94131; the lowest is in eastern 94131, where just 28% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Southern 94131
63.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northern 94131
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern 94131
54.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 94131
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern 94131
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern 94131 sounds about 107% louder than in eastern 94131, a 10.5 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 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
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 13% of 94131 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 57% 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
San Francisco International (SFO) sits south of 94131. 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 94131, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 94131
The bar chart below shows the share of 94131 residents in each noise band. About 55% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 12% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 94131 Compares
94131 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 94131's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 94132, 94114, 94123, and 94107.
Average noise level (dBA)
94131's 54.9 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 94131 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 44.5% of 94131 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, 50.5% of 94131'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 94131
- 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 13% of 94131 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. San Francisco International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
