Noise Levels in Upper Laurel, Oakland, CA | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
59 dBA
Average noise across Upper Laurel
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
2,102
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
63% of Upper Laurel residents
84 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Upper Laurel 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 2,102 Upper Laurel residents, or 62.7%, live above that level. By land area, 63.0% of Upper Laurel is above 55 dBA.
37.0% below 55 dBA
63.0% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Upper Laurel compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Upper Laurel
Average noise levels for Upper Laurel residents, grouped by direction from the center of Upper Laurel. The highest population-weighted average is in southeastern Upper Laurel; the lowest is in northwestern Upper Laurel, where just 50% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about two-thirds of the share in the loudest section.
Southeastern Upper Laurel
74.1 dBA · Loud
City bus interior
Central Upper Laurel
64.7 dBA · Loud
Busy restaurant
Northwestern Upper Laurel
55.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in southeastern Upper Laurel sounds about 256% louder than in northwestern Upper Laurel, a 18.3 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 do you need to be?
produces an estimated 84 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 quiet office.
At source
84 dBA
Food blender at arm’s length
165 ft
70 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
330 ft
62 dBA
Busy restaurant
660 ft
55 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
¼ mile
47 dBA
Quiet office
½ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 10% of Upper Laurel sits under tree canopy (lighter than most neighborhoods) 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
San Francisco Bay Oakland International (OAK) sits south of Upper Laurel. 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 Upper Laurel, 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 Upper Laurel
The bar chart below shows the share of Upper Laurel residents in each noise band. About 17% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 23% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Upper Laurel Compares
Upper Laurel sits the highest among the peer group. Below: how Upper Laurel's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Fitchburg, Allendale, Lakeshore-Oakland, and Rancho San Antonio.
Average noise level (dBA)
Upper Laurel's 58.8 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 Upper Laurel because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 62.7% of Upper Laurel 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, 63.0% of Upper Laurel'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 Upper Laurel
- 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 Upper Laurel is under tree cover (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. San Francisco Bay Oakland International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the south. Neighborhoods to the north of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
