Noise Levels in Central Davis, Davis, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Central Davis
Quiet office to normal conversation
2,961
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
34% of Central Davis residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Central Davis 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 2,961 Central Davis residents, or 33.8%, live above that level. By land area, 36.8% of Central Davis is above 55 dBA.
63.2% below 55 dBA
36.8% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Central Davis compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Central Davis
Average noise levels for Central Davis residents, grouped by direction from the center of Central Davis. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern Central Davis; the lowest is in central Central Davis, where just 32% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern Central Davis
63.0 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Eastern Central Davis
57.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Central Davis
55.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern Central Davis
55.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Central Davis
54.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern Central Davis sounds about 75% louder than in central Central Davis, a 8.1 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 Rte 113 do you need to be?
State Rte 113 produces an estimated 73 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
73 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
59 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
51 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
43 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 10% of Central Davis sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 48% 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 Central Davis. 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 northeast of Central Davis. 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 Central Davis, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Central Davis
The bar chart below shows the share of Central Davis residents in each noise band. About 57% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 3% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Central Davis Compares
Central Davis sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Central Davis's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Greenhaven, Covell Park, Village 2, and Land Park.
Average noise level (dBA)
Central Davis's 54.7 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 Central Davis because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 33.8% of Central Davis 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, 36.8% of Central Davis'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 Central Davis
- 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 113 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 Central Davis is under tree cover (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. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
