Noise Levels in 95819, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across 95819
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
10,042
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
55% of 95819 residents
100 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 95819 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 10,042 95819 residents, or 55.2%, live above that level. By land area, 66.8% of 95819 is above 55 dBA.
33.2% below 55 dBA
66.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 95819 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 95819
Average noise levels for 95819 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 95819. The highest population-weighted average is in northern 95819; the lowest is in central 95819, where just 62% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Northern 95819
70.8 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northeastern 95819
67.1 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southwestern 95819
66.7 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Western 95819
62.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central 95819
62.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
To the human ear, noise in northern 95819 sounds about 84% louder than in central 95819, a 8.8 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 State Hwy 16 do you need to be?
State Hwy 16 produces an estimated 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 10% of 95819 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 53% 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 95819. 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.
Airport Noise
Sacramento International (SMF) sits northwest of 95819. 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 95819, particularly to the southeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 95819
The bar chart below shows the share of 95819 residents in each noise band. About 40% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 25% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 95819 Compares
95819 sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how 95819's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 95818, 95827, 95841, and 95864.
Average noise level (dBA)
95819's 57.3 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 95819 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 55.2% of 95819 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, 66.8% of 95819'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 95819
- 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 State Hwy 16 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 10% of 95819 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. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
