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West Los Angeles noise map: how loud is it?

West Los Angeles sits in the middle of Los Angeles's noise range: 14.3% of residents face 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise — road, rail and aviation combined — ranking it 20th 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 West Los Angeles, 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).
West Los Angeles 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 West Los Angeles on the live noise map → Zoom to any block over the federal BTS raster, or use your location.
West Los Angeles noise exposure at a glance
Rank in Los Angeles (of 110 neighborhoods) #20
Residents above 60 dB 14.3%
Residents above 70 dB 4.5%
Residents in the 45–60 dB band 32.7%
Residents (ACS 2016–2020, area-weighted) 14,235
Census tracts mapped 10

West Los Angeles is home to about 14,235 residents across 10 census tracts. 14.3% of them are exposed to 60 dB or more of average-day road, rail and aviation noise. Within that, 4.5% face the most severe band — 70 dB or louder, the level at which sustained exposure starts to threaten hearing. A further 32.7% sit in the 45–60 dB band — a noticeable background hum rather than a hearing risk. That ranks West Los Angeles #20 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods, louder than most Los Angeles neighborhoods. Among Los Angeles neighborhoods it sits just below Harbor City (#19) and just above Lake Balboa (#21).

Exposure across West Los Angeles is a patchwork. The streets that back onto a freeway, rail line or flight path carry most of the 14.3%, while interior blocks a few hundred feet away can sit 15 to 25 dB quieter. The map makes that split easy to see.

West Los Angeles noise: the specifics

  • Ranks #20 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by share of residents exposed to ≥60 dB transportation noise.
  • 14.3% of West Los Angeles's ~14,235 residents live with 60 dB or louder average-day transportation noise.
  • 4.5% are in the severe 70 dB+ band; 32.7% sit in the 45–60 dB moderate range.
  • Area-weighted across 10 census tracts from the federal BTS 2020 noise map × ACS 2016–2020 population.
  • #20 of 110 — see the full Los Angeles ranking.

What share of West Los Angeles residents are exposed to 60 dB or louder transportation noise?

14.3% of West Los Angeles residents live with average-day transportation noise (road, rail and aviation) at or above 60 dB, and 4.5% are above 70 dB — ranking West Los Angeles #20 of 110 Los Angeles neighborhoods by noise exposure.

How West Los Angeles 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 West Los Angeles. 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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