Noise Levels in Natomas Crossing, Sacramento, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
55 dBA
Average noise across Natomas Crossing
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,775
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
42% of Natomas Crossing residents
86 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Natomas Crossing 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 1,775 Natomas Crossing residents, or 42.4%, live above that level. By land area, 46.6% of Natomas Crossing is above 55 dBA.
53.4% below 55 dBA
46.6% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Natomas Crossing compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Natomas Crossing
Average noise levels for Natomas Crossing residents, grouped by direction from the center of Natomas Crossing. The highest population-weighted average is in southwestern Natomas Crossing; the lowest is in northeastern Natomas Crossing, where just 25% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southwestern Natomas Crossing
62.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern Natomas Crossing
61.6 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Central Natomas Crossing
60.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern Natomas Crossing
53.9 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northeastern Natomas Crossing
53.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southwestern Natomas Crossing sounds about 93% louder than in northeastern Natomas Crossing, a 9.5 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-80 do you need to be?
I-80 produces an estimated 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
65 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
57 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
660 ft
49 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 3% of Natomas Crossing sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 62% 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 Natomas Crossing. 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 Natomas Crossing, 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 Natomas Crossing
The bar chart below shows the share of Natomas Crossing residents in each noise band. About 62% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 9% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Natomas Crossing Compares
Natomas Crossing sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Natomas Crossing's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Gardenland, Glenwood Meadows, Village 9, and Natomas Creek.
Average noise level (dBA)
Natomas Crossing's 55.1 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 Natomas Crossing because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 42.4% of Natomas Crossing 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, 46.6% of Natomas Crossing'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 Natomas Crossing
- 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-80 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 3% of Natomas Crossing 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. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
