Noise Levels in Lower Bal, San Leandro, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
60 dBA
Average noise across Lower Bal
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
3,841
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
60% of Lower Bal residents
87 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Lower Bal 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 3,841 Lower Bal residents, or 59.7%, live above that level. By land area, 65.7% of Lower Bal is above 55 dBA.
34.3% below 55 dBA
65.7% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Lower Bal compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Lower Bal
Average noise levels for Lower Bal residents, grouped by direction from the center of Lower Bal. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Lower Bal; the lowest is in southern Lower Bal, where just 72% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Lower Bal
70.4 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Northern Lower Bal
62.5 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Lower Bal
62.2 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central Lower Bal
61.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Lower Bal
60.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Lower Bal sounds about 100% louder than in southern Lower Bal, a 10.0 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 87 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 office.
At source
87 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
165 ft
73 dBA
City bus interior
330 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
¼ mile
49 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 4% of Lower Bal sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 63% 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 Lower Bal. 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
San Francisco Bay Oakland International (OAK) sits west of Lower Bal. 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 Lower Bal, particularly to the east, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Lower Bal
The bar chart below shows the share of Lower Bal residents in each noise band. About 22% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 40% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Lower Bal Compares
Lower Bal sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Lower Bal's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Floresta Gardens-Bradrick, Southgate, Davis Tract, and Old San Leandro.
Average noise level (dBA)
Lower Bal's 60.0 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 Lower Bal because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 59.7% of Lower Bal 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, 65.7% of Lower Bal'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 Lower Bal
- 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 4% of Lower Bal is under tree cover (much 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. San Francisco Bay Oakland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
