Noise Levels in Central Oak Park, Sacramento, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Central Oak Park
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,957
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
51% of Central Oak Park residents
75 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Central Oak Park 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 1,957 Central Oak Park residents, or 50.6%, live above that level. By land area, 45.0% of Central Oak Park is above 55 dBA.
55.0% below 55 dBA
45.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Central Oak Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Central Oak Park
Average noise levels for Central Oak Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of Central Oak Park. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern Central Oak Park; the lowest is in central Central Oak Park, where just 40% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern Central Oak Park
63.3 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Western Central Oak Park
61.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Eastern Central Oak Park
56.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern Central Oak Park
54.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Central Oak Park
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern Central Oak Park sounds about 82% louder than in central Central Oak Park, a 8.6 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 75 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
75 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
61 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
53 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
44 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
36 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 8% of Central Oak Park sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 49% 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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Airport Noise
Sacramento International (SMF) sits northwest of Central Oak Park. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Central Oak Park, 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 Central Oak Park
The bar chart below shows the share of Central Oak Park residents in each noise band. About 43% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 17% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Central Oak Park Compares
Central Oak Park sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Central Oak Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Curtis Park, Avondale, North Oak Park, and Northeast Village.
Average noise level (dBA)
Central Oak Park's 55.3 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 Oak Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 50.6% of Central Oak Park 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, 45.0% of Central Oak Park'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 Oak Park
- 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 8% of Central Oak Park is under tree cover (lighter than most neighborhoods), 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.
