Noise Levels in 95386, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
48 dBA
Average noise across 95386
Quiet office
1,517
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
16% of 95386 residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 95386 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 1,517 95386 residents, or 16.5%, live above that level. By land area, 12.2% of 95386 is above 55 dBA.
87.8% below 55 dBA
12.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 95386 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 95386
Average noise levels for 95386 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 95386. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern 95386; the lowest is in northeastern 95386, where just 1% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern 95386
52.5 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central 95386
51.4 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 95386
49.7 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Eastern 95386
49.0 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Northeastern 95386
48.2 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northwestern 95386 sounds about 35% louder than in northeastern 95386, a 4.3 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 87 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 office.
At source
87 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
165 ft
72 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
¼ mile
46 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 3% of 95386 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most 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 95386. 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.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 95386
The bar chart below shows the share of 95386 residents in each noise band. About 93% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 95386 Compares
95386 sits the lowest among the peer group. Below: how 95386's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 95326, 95357, 95316, and 95320.
Average noise level (dBA)
95386's 48.1 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 95386 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 16.5% of 95386 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, 12.2% of 95386'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 95386
- 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 3% of 95386 is under tree cover (much lighter than most 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.
