Noise Levels in 95638, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
40 dBA
Average noise across 95638
Soft rainfall
19
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
1% of 95638 residents
85 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 95638 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 19 95638 residents, or 0.8%, live above that level. By land area, 4.9% of 95638 is above 55 dBA.
95.1% below 55 dBA
4.9% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 95638 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 95638
Average noise levels for 95638 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 95638. The highest population-weighted average is in western 95638; the lowest is in eastern 95638, where just 0% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Western 95638
42.7 dBA · Quiet
Quiet suburban street at night
Southwestern 95638
39.4 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Southeastern 95638
38.1 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Northeastern 95638
37.5 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
Eastern 95638
36.9 dBA · Quiet
Soft rainfall
To the human ear, noise in western 95638 sounds about 49% louder than in eastern 95638, a 5.8 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 85 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
85 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
165 ft
71 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
¼ mile
49 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 95638 sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 1% 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.
-->
Rail Noise
Active freight rail runs through parts of 95638. 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 95638
The bar chart below shows the share of 95638 residents in each noise band. About 100% 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 95638 Compares
95638 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 95638's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 95237, 95258, 95690, and 95669.
Average noise level (dBA)
95638's 40.0 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 95638 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 0.8% of 95638 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, 4.9% of 95638'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 95638
- 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 0% of 95638 is under tree cover (much lighter than most zip codes), and the dominant land cover is grassland. 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.
