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Lake Balboa noise map: how loud is it?
Lake Balboa sits in the middle of Los Angeles's noise range: 14.1% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 21st of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods. Zoom the map below to see which blocks run loud and which stay calm.
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| Rank in Los Angeles (of 110 neighborhoods) | #21 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 14.1% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 1.2% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 78.1% |
| Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) | 27,463 |
| Census tracts mapped | 12 |
Lake Balboa is home to about 27,463 residents across 12 census tracts. 14.1% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 1.2% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 78.1% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Lake Balboa #21 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods, louder than most Los Angeles neighborhoods. Among Los Angeles neighborhoods it sits just below West Los Angeles (#20) and just above Hollywood (#22).
Exposure across Lake Balboa is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 14.1%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.
Lake Balboa noise: the specifics
- Ranks #21 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
- 14.1% of Lake Balboa's ~27,463 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
- 1.2% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 78.1% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
- Area-weighted across 12 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
- #21 of 110 — see the full Los Angeles ranking.
What share of Lake Balboa residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?
14.1% of Lake Balboa residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 1.2% are above 70 dB — ranking Lake Balboa #21 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by noise exposure.
How Lake Balboa 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 Lake Balboa. 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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