Noise Levels in Sexton Mountain, Beaverton, OR | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across Sexton Mountain
Quiet office to normal conversation
4,173
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
40% of Sexton Mountain residents
70 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Sexton Mountain 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 4,173 Sexton Mountain residents, or 39.9%, live above that level. By land area, 40.2% of Sexton Mountain is above 55 dBA.
59.8% below 55 dBA
40.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Sexton Mountain compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Sexton Mountain
Average noise levels for Sexton Mountain residents, grouped by direction from the center of Sexton Mountain. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Sexton Mountain; the lowest is in western Sexton Mountain, where just 39% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, roughly the same as the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Sexton Mountain
57.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Eastern Sexton Mountain
57.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southwestern Sexton Mountain
53.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Central Sexton Mountain
53.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Western Sexton Mountain
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Sexton Mountain sounds about 37% louder than in western Sexton Mountain, a 4.5 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 70 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
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
56 dBA
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
330 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
40 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 39% of Sexton Mountain sits under tree canopy (much heavier than most neighborhoods) and roughly 38% 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
Portland International (PDX) sits northeast of Sexton Mountain. 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 Sexton Mountain, particularly to the southwest, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Sexton Mountain
The bar chart below shows the share of Sexton Mountain residents in each noise band. About 75% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 5% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Sexton Mountain Compares
Sexton Mountain sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how Sexton Mountain's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with West Beaverton, Five Oaks, Neighbors Southwest, and Cooper Mountain Aloha South.
Average noise level (dBA)
Sexton Mountain's 54.0 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Oregon as a whole averages 52.9 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Sexton Mountain because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 39.9% of Sexton Mountain 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, 40.2% of Sexton Mountain's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Oregon average of 24.2% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Sexton Mountain
- 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 39% of Sexton Mountain is under tree cover (much heavier 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. Portland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northeast. Neighborhoods to the southwest of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
