Noise Levels in Sonterra-Stone Oak, San Antonio, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
54 dBA
Average noise across Sonterra-Stone Oak
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,379
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
26% of Sonterra-Stone Oak residents
69 dBA
Loudest residential point
Highway traffic 50 ft away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Sonterra-Stone Oak 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 1,379 Sonterra-Stone Oak residents, or 26.3%, live above that level. By land area, 24.0% of Sonterra-Stone Oak is above 55 dBA.
76.0% below 55 dBA
24.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Sonterra-Stone Oak compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Sonterra-Stone Oak
Average noise levels for Sonterra-Stone Oak residents, grouped by direction from the center of Sonterra-Stone Oak. The highest population-weighted average is in southern Sonterra-Stone Oak; the lowest is in northern Sonterra-Stone Oak, where just 25% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, three-quarters of the share in the loudest section.
Southern Sonterra-Stone Oak
61.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern Sonterra-Stone Oak
61.1 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southwestern Sonterra-Stone Oak
56.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northwestern Sonterra-Stone Oak
54.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern Sonterra-Stone Oak
52.0 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southern Sonterra-Stone Oak sounds about 88% louder than in northern Sonterra-Stone Oak, a 9.1 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 C W Anderson Loop do you need to be?
C W Anderson Loop produces an estimated 75 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
75 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
63 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 10% of Sonterra-Stone Oak sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 42% 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
San Antonio International (SAT) sits south of Sonterra-Stone Oak. 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 Sonterra-Stone Oak, 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 Sonterra-Stone Oak
The bar chart below shows the share of Sonterra-Stone Oak residents in each noise band. About 61% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 19% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Sonterra-Stone Oak Compares
Sonterra-Stone Oak sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Sonterra-Stone Oak's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Timberwood Park, Greater Harmony Hills, Woods of Shavano, and Lockhill Estates.
Average noise level (dBA)
Sonterra-Stone Oak's 54.1 dBA pop-weighted average is the highest among the peer group. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Sonterra-Stone Oak because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 26.3% of Sonterra-Stone Oak 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, 24.0% of Sonterra-Stone Oak'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 Sonterra-Stone Oak
- 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 C W Anderson Loop 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 Sonterra-Stone Oak 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. San Antonio International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
