US citiesLos AngelesSherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks noise map: how loud is it?

Sherman Oaks sits in the middle of Los Angeles's noise range: 12.4% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 31st 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 Sherman Oaks, 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).
Sherman Oaks 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 Sherman Oaks on the live noise map → Zoom to any block over the federal BTS raster, or use your location.
Sherman Oaks noise exposure at a glance
Rank in Los Angeles (of 110 neighborhoods) #31
Residents above 60 dB 12.4%
Residents above 70 dB 5%
Residents in the 45–60 dB band 79.5%
Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) 71,984
Census tracts mapped 33

Sherman Oaks is home to about 71,984 residents across 33 census tracts. 12.4% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 5% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 79.5% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks Sherman Oaks #31 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods, louder than most Los Angeles neighborhoods. Among Los Angeles neighborhoods it sits just below Atwater Village (#30) and just above Gramercy Park (#32).

Exposure across Sherman Oaks is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 12.4%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.

Sherman Oaks noise: the specifics

  • Ranks #31 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
  • 12.4% of Sherman Oaks's ~71,984 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
  • 5% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 79.5% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
  • Area-weighted across 33 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
  • #31 of 110 — see the full Los Angeles ranking.

What share of Sherman Oaks residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?

12.4% of Sherman Oaks residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 5% are above 70 dB — ranking Sherman Oaks #31 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by noise exposure.

How Sherman Oaks 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 Sherman Oaks. 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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