Noise Levels in River Park, Sacramento, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
58 dBA
Average noise across River Park
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,729
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
52% of River Park residents
100 dBA
Loudest residential point
Power saw
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across River 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 1,729 River Park residents, or 51.5%, live above that level. By land area, 51.2% of River Park is above 55 dBA.
48.8% below 55 dBA
51.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in River Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of River Park
Average noise levels for River Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of River Park. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern River Park; the lowest is in eastern River Park, where just 38% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern River Park
78.9 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Central River Park
70.3 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern River Park
59.0 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern River Park
57.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern River Park
54.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern River Park sounds about 462% louder than in eastern River Park, a 24.9 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 100 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 busy restaurant.
At source
100 dBA
Power saw
165 ft
86 dBA
Lawnmower at 1 m
330 ft
78 dBA
City bus interior
660 ft
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
¼ mile
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
½ mile
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 10% of River Park sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 45% 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 River Park. 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
Sacramento International (SMF) sits northwest of River 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 65 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of River 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 River Park
The bar chart below shows the share of River Park residents in each noise band. About 50% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 18% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How River Park Compares
River Park sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how River Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Tahoe Park, Sierra Oaks, North Oak Park, and Noralto.
Average noise level (dBA)
River Park's 58.3 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. California as a whole averages 54.0 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than River Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 51.5% of River Park residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's more than any of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 51.2% of River 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 River 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 10% of River Park is under tree cover (lighter than most neighborhoods), 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. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
