Noise Levels in 96019, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
52 dBA
Average noise across 96019
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,133
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
24% of 96019 residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 96019 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 2,133 96019 residents, or 23.9%, live above that level. By land area, 36.0% of 96019 is above 55 dBA.
64.0% below 55 dBA
36.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 96019 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 96019
Average noise levels for 96019 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 96019. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern 96019; the lowest is in western 96019, where just 6% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern 96019
65.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern 96019
61.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern 96019
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 96019
48.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
Western 96019
47.3 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in southeastern 96019 sounds about 258% louder than in western 96019, a 18.4 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-5 Scn do you need to be?
I-5 Scn produces an estimated 77 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
77 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
42 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 16% of 96019 sits under tree canopy (lighter than most zip codes) and roughly 26% 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 96019. 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 96019
The bar chart below shows the share of 96019 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 96019 Compares
96019 sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how 96019's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 96073, 96022, 96007, and 96001.
Average noise level (dBA)
96019's 51.9 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 96019 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 23.9% of 96019 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 36.0% of 96019'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 96019
- 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-5 Scn 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 16% of 96019 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.
