Decibel Shield
Santa Ana noise map: where the city is loudest
Santa Ana rounds out the top ten: 9% of residents live above 60 dB and 3.9% above 70 dB — the second-highest severe share in the country. Three freeways cross one of the densest cities in California, and John Wayne Airport sits on its southern border.
Last updated:
| US rank (of 100 largest cities) | #10 |
|---|---|
| Residents above 60 dB | 9% |
| Residents above 70 dB | 3.9% |
| Residents in the 45–60 dB band | 35.8% |
| Population (ACS 2016–2020) | 325,359 |
| Census tracts mapped | 52 |
Santa Ana packs one of California’s densest populations into a flat grid crossed by I-5, SR-55 and SR-22, and its severe-exposure share (3.9% of residents above 70 dB) trails only neighboring Anaheim nationally. The two cities are effectively one freeway-noise system — Orange County’s urban core, laced with corridors built before anyone priced in the people beside them.
On the southern boundary sits John Wayne Airport — officially located in Santa Ana — which is itself a landmark in noise politics: its strict nighttime curfew and famously steep “quiet” departure climbs exist because of decades of litigation from communities under the flight paths. The airport’s noise rules are among the most restrictive in the country, which is partly why the city’s red concentrates along the freeways instead.
Santa Ana noise: the specifics
- Second-highest severe-exposure share in the US: 3.9% of residents above 70 dB.
- John Wayne Airport (officially in Santa Ana) operates one of the strictest airport noise curfews in the country, with steep noise-abatement departures.
- Among the densest cities in California, with housing tight against the I-5, SR-55 and SR-22 corridors.
- 9% of residents above 60 dB ranks #10 among the 100 largest US cities — see the full measured ranking.
How this map is made
This is a transparent aggregation of federal data, not an estimate: the BTS 2020 National Transportation Noise Map (road + rail + aviation) overlaid with Census ACS 2016–2020 population at tract level, clipped to the city boundary. Full methodology, limitations and the free CSV/JSON are on the US cities noise ranking. Remember what it doesn’t count: sirens, construction, nightlife and neighbors are outside the model.
How loud is your block?
The map shows averages by tract — your street is its own story. Measure it with the free online decibel meter → No install, nothing recorded.