Decibel Shield
US cities › Los Angeles › Historic South-Central
Historic South-Central noise map: how loud is it?
Historic South-Central sits in the middle of Los Angeles's noise range: 9.5% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 53rd of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods. Zoom the map below to see which blocks run loud and which stay calm.
Last updated:
| Rank in Los Angeles (of 110 neighborhoods) | #53 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 9.5% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 2.9% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 36% |
| Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) | 51,082 |
| Census tracts mapped | 20 |
Historic South-Central is home to about 51,082 residents across 20 census tracts. 9.5% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 2.9% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 36% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Historic South-Central #53 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods, louder than most Los Angeles neighborhoods. Among Los Angeles neighborhoods it sits just below Van Nuys (#52) and just above Chesterfield Square (#54).
Exposure across Historic South-Central is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 9.5%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.
Historic South-Central noise: the specifics
- Ranks #53 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 9.5% of Historic South-Central's ~51,082 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 2.9% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 36% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
- Area-weighted across 20 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
- #53 of 110 — see the full Los Angeles ranking.
What share of Historic South-Central residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
9.5% of Historic South-Central residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 2.9% are above 70 dB — ranking Historic South-Central #53 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by noise exposure.
How Historic South-Central 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 Historic South-Central. 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 →
← All Los Angeles neighborhoods · Interactive US noise map · All US cities