Noise Levels in 94595, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
50 dBA
Average noise across 94595
Quiet office
3,482
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
21% of 94595 residents
86 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 94595 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 3,482 94595 residents, or 20.9%, live above that level. By land area, 38.0% of 94595 is above 55 dBA.
62.0% below 55 dBA
38.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 94595 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 94595
Average noise levels for 94595 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 94595. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 94595; the lowest is in southern 94595, where just 2% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 94595
68.5 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northern 94595
59.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 94595
50.0 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Western 94595
48.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Southern 94595
46.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
To the human ear, noise in eastern 94595 sounds about 376% louder than in southern 94595, a 22.5 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-680 do you need to be?
I-680 produces an estimated 80 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 quiet suburban street at night.
At source
80 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
66 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
43 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 21% of 94595 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 32% 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 southwest of 94595. 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 94595, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 94595
The bar chart below shows the share of 94595 residents in each noise band. About 80% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 5% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 94595 Compares
94595 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 94595's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 94556, 94507, 94563, and 94519.
Average noise level (dBA)
94595's 50.1 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 94595 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 20.9% of 94595 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, 38.0% of 94595'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 94595
- 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-680 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 21% of 94595 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 Bay Oakland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
