Noise Levels in River Oaks, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
51 dBA
Average noise across River Oaks
Quiet office
1,338
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
27% of River Oaks residents
69 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across River Oaks 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 1,338 River Oaks residents, or 27.2%, live above that level. By land area, 29.2% of River Oaks is above 55 dBA.
70.8% below 55 dBA
29.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in River Oaks compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of River Oaks
Average noise levels for River Oaks residents, grouped by direction from the center of River Oaks. The highest population-weighted average is in northeastern River Oaks; the lowest is in southern River Oaks, where just 12% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northeastern River Oaks
58.3 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern River Oaks
56.5 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern River Oaks
52.2 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southeastern River Oaks
50.6 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office
Southern River Oaks
49.9 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in northeastern River Oaks sounds about 79% louder than in southern River Oaks, a 8.4 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 69 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
69 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
45 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
660 ft
37 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 21% of River Oaks sits under tree canopy (lighter than most cities) and roughly 36% 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.
-->
Airport Noise
Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) sits east of River Oaks. 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 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of River Oaks, particularly to the west, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across River Oaks
The bar chart below shows the share of River Oaks residents in each noise band. About 69% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 1% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How River Oaks Compares
River Oaks sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how River Oaks's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Lake Worth, Richland Hills, Sansom Park, and Willow Park.
Average noise level (dBA)
River Oaks's 50.9 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than River Oaks because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 27.2% of River Oaks 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, 29.2% of River Oaks's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to River Oaks
- 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 21% of River Oaks is under tree cover (lighter than most cities), 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. Dallas-Fort Worth International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the east. Neighborhoods to the west of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
