Noise Levels in 95608, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across 95608
Quiet office to normal conversation
13,966
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
23% of 95608 residents
71 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 95608 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 13,966 95608 residents, or 23.1%, live above that level. By land area, 25.2% of 95608 is above 55 dBA.
74.8% below 55 dBA
25.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 95608 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 95608
Average noise levels for 95608 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 95608. The highest population-weighted average is in southern 95608; the lowest is in eastern 95608, where just 10% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southern 95608
54.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern 95608
54.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 95608
53.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 95608
50.3 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Eastern 95608
50.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southern 95608 sounds about 32% louder than in eastern 95608, a 4.0 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 71 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
71 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
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 11% of 95608 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 47% 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
Sacramento International (SMF) sits west of 95608. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 95608, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 95608
The bar chart below shows the share of 95608 residents in each noise band. About 77% 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 95608 Compares
95608 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 95608's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 95670, 95747, 95828, and 95630.
Average noise level (dBA)
95608's 52.2 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 95608 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 23.1% of 95608 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, 25.2% of 95608'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 95608
- 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 11% of 95608 is under tree cover (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.
- Airport noise is directional. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
