Noise Levels in 94502, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across 94502
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
8,415
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
70% of 94502 residents
72 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 94502 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 8,415 94502 residents, or 70.4%, live above that level. By land area, 75.5% of 94502 is above 55 dBA.
24.5% below 55 dBA
75.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 94502 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 94502
Average noise levels for 94502 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 94502. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 94502; the lowest is in northwestern 94502, where just 45% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Southern 94502
57.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 94502
57.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 94502
57.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western 94502
56.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 94502
55.3 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern 94502 sounds about 17% louder than in northwestern 94502, a 2.3 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 72 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
72 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 7% of 94502 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 49% 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 Bay Oakland International (OAK) sits southeast of 94502. 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 94502, 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 94502
The bar chart below shows the share of 94502 residents in each noise band. About 13% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 94502 Compares
94502 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 94502's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 94705, 94709, 94612, and 94707.
Average noise level (dBA)
94502's 56.5 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 94502 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 70.4% of 94502 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, 75.5% of 94502'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 94502
- 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 7% of 94502 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 Bay Oakland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southeast. Neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
