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Harvard Heights noise map: how loud is it?

Harvard Heights sits in the middle of Los Angeles's noise range: 10.5% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 44th of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods. Zoom the map below to see which blocks run loud and which stay calm.

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Transportation-noise map of Harvard Heights, Los Angeles: the neighborhood outlined in white over modeled road, rail and aircraft noise, colored from amber (about 45 dBA) through red and purple to blue (90 dBA and up).
Harvard Heights outlined over the modeled 24-hour transportation-noise level (LAeq, dBA) from the US DOT BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map. Boundary © LA Times; streets and water © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO.
Interactive map Open Harvard Heights on the live noise map → Zoom to any block over the federal BTS raster, or use your location.
Harvard Heights noise exposure at a glance
Rank in Los Angeles (of 110 neighborhoods) #44
Residents above 60 dB 10.5%
Residents above 70 dB 6.3%
Residents in the 45–60 dB band 26.1%
Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) 18,878
Census tracts mapped 9

Harvard Heights is home to about 18,878 residents across 9 census tracts. 10.5% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 6.3% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 26.1% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Harvard Heights #44 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods, louder than most Los Angeles neighborhoods. Among Los Angeles neighborhoods it sits just below Arlington Heights (#43) and just above Exposition Park (#45).

Exposure across Harvard Heights is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 10.5%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.

Harvard Heights noise: the specifics

  • Ranks #44 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
  • 10.5% of Harvard Heights's ~18,878 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
  • 6.3% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 26.1% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
  • Area-weighted across 9 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
  • #44 of 110 — see the full Los Angeles ranking.

What share of Harvard Heights residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?

10.5% of Harvard Heights residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 6.3% are above 70 dB — ranking Harvard Heights #44 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by noise exposure.

How Harvard Heights compares

How this is measured

This is a transparent aggregation of federal data, not an estimate: the US DOT 2020 National Transportation Noise Map (road + rail + aviation), paired with Census population by the University of Washington and area-weighted to the Los Angeles Times boundary for Harvard Heights. It does not count sirens, construction, nightlife or neighbors, and it resolves busy corridors better than quiet local streets. For your exact spot, measure it with the free online decibel meter →

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