Noise Levels in South Oak Park, Sacramento, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across South Oak Park
Quiet office to normal conversation
3,617
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
56% of South Oak Park residents
82 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South Oak 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 3,617 South Oak Park residents, or 55.7%, live above that level. By land area, 64.3% of South Oak Park is above 55 dBA.
35.7% below 55 dBA
64.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South Oak Park compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of South Oak Park
Average noise levels for South Oak Park residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Oak Park. The highest population-weighted average is in northwestern South Oak Park; the lowest is in eastern South Oak Park, where just 27% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a third of the share in the loudest section.
Northwestern South Oak Park
64.4 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southern South Oak Park
63.9 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Southeastern South Oak Park
55.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northern South Oak Park
54.7 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern South Oak Park
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northwestern South Oak Park sounds about 119% louder than in eastern South Oak Park, a 11.3 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 State Hwy 99 do you need to be?
State Hwy 99 produces an estimated 79 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
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 3% of South Oak Park sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 51% 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
Sacramento International (SMF) sits northwest of South Oak 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 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of South Oak 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 South Oak Park
The bar chart below shows the share of South Oak Park residents in each noise band. About 37% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 16% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How South Oak Park Compares
South Oak Park sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how South Oak Park's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Fruitridge Manor, Land Park, Natomas Corporate Center, and Gateway West.
Average noise level (dBA)
South Oak Park's 55.6 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 South Oak Park because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 55.7% of South Oak 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, 64.3% of South Oak 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 South Oak 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 State Hwy 99 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 3% of South Oak Park 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. Sacramento International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the northwest. Neighborhoods to the southeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
