Noise Levels in South Whittier, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across South Whittier
Quiet office to normal conversation
21,939
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
43% of South Whittier residents
76 dBA
Loudest residential point
City bus interior
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across South Whittier 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 21,939 South Whittier residents, or 42.8%, live above that level. By land area, 45.3% of South Whittier is above 55 dBA.
54.7% below 55 dBA
45.3% above 55 dBA
See how noise in South Whittier compares to similar-sized cities.
Noise by Part of South Whittier
Average noise levels for South Whittier residents, grouped by direction from the center of South Whittier. The highest population-weighted average is in northern South Whittier; the lowest is in southwestern South Whittier, where just 31% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Northern South Whittier
60.1 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern South Whittier
59.9 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southern South Whittier
58.4 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Western South Whittier
55.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern South Whittier
54.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in northern South Whittier sounds about 51% louder than in southwestern South Whittier, a 5.9 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 76 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
76 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
54 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
46 dBA
Quiet suburban street at night
¼ mile
38 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 5% of South Whittier sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most cities) and roughly 56% 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
Los Angeles International (LAX) sits west of South Whittier. 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 75 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of South Whittier, particularly to the east, 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 Whittier
The bar chart below shows the share of South Whittier residents in each noise band. About 54% 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 South Whittier Compares
South Whittier sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how South Whittier's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Hacienda Heights, Pico Rivera, La Mirada, and La Habra.
Average noise level (dBA)
South Whittier's 55.5 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 Whittier because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 42.8% of South Whittier 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, 45.3% of South Whittier'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 Whittier
- 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 5% of South Whittier is under tree cover (much lighter than most cities), 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. Los Angeles International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the west. Neighborhoods to the east of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
