Noise Levels in Arlington, Riverside, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map

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 5,025 Arlington residents, or 45.8%, live above that level. By land area, 51.1% of Arlington is above 55 dBA.

See how noise in Arlington compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.

Noise by Part of Arlington

Average noise levels for Arlington residents, grouped by direction from the center of Arlington. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern Arlington; the lowest is in western Arlington, where just 18% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.

To the human ear, noise in eastern Arlington sounds about 197% louder than in western Arlington, a 15.7 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.

Airport Noise

Ontario International (ONT) sits northwest of Arlington. 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 Arlington, 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 Arlington

The bar chart below shows the share of Arlington residents in each noise band. About 45% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 32% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.

How Arlington Compares

Arlington sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Arlington's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with La Sierra Acres, Airport, Magnolia Center, and Victoria.

Average noise level (dBA)

Arlington's 58.4 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 Arlington because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.

Share of residents above 55 dBA

About 45.8% of Arlington 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, 51.1% of Arlington'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 Arlington

• 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 Rte 91 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 2% of Arlington is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), 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. Ontario International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.

Sources & Methodology