Noise Levels in Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
57 dBA
Average noise across Pico-Robertson
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
20,299
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
50% of Pico-Robertson residents
86 dBA
Loudest residential point
Lawnmower at 1 m
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Pico-Robertson 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 20,299 Pico-Robertson residents, or 50.5%, live above that level. By land area, 54.5% of Pico-Robertson is above 55 dBA.
45.5% below 55 dBA
54.5% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Pico-Robertson compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Pico-Robertson
Average noise levels for Pico-Robertson residents, grouped by direction from the center of Pico-Robertson. The highest population-weighted average is in southern Pico-Robertson; the lowest is in northwestern Pico-Robertson, where just 36% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Southern Pico-Robertson
65.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern Pico-Robertson
60.5 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern Pico-Robertson
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western Pico-Robertson
56.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern Pico-Robertson
56.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
To the human ear, noise in southern Pico-Robertson sounds about 97% louder than in northwestern Pico-Robertson, a 9.8 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-10 do you need to be?
I-10 produces an estimated 80 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
80 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
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 2% of Pico-Robertson sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 72% 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
Los Angeles International (LAX) sits south of Pico-Robertson. The U.S. Department of Transportation measures aviation noise around this airport directly, 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Pico-Robertson, particularly to the north, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Pico-Robertson
The bar chart below shows the share of Pico-Robertson residents in each noise band. About 45% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 22% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Pico-Robertson Compares
Pico-Robertson sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Pico-Robertson's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with West Los Angeles, Palms, Mid City West, and Sawtelle.
Average noise level (dBA)
Pico-Robertson's 56.6 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 Pico-Robertson because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 50.5% of Pico-Robertson 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, 54.5% of Pico-Robertson'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 Pico-Robertson
- 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-10 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 Pico-Robertson 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. Los Angeles International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
