At the office, the days between Christmas to New Years are quiet. Maybe too quiet. So I have a ritual. During this week between holidays, I update, analyze, and prepare new demographic data for the coming year, pulling from government, education, private, and internal sources.
Demographic information at the ZIP Code and market level is pretty cool. I say that not just as a researcher who loves data but because I believe they can play a pivotal role in making strategic decisions across a wealth of topics.
The Importance of Location-Based Demographic Data
Most people have a pretty good understanding of the community they live or work in. We see our neighbors, interact with the issues and challenges of our community, and have our own experiences to reference. But our own experiences only take us so far. That’s where good data comes in.
I live in Vancouver, Washington, a suburb of Portland in a suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood with many young professionals and families. My first assumption was that the educational attainment in my ZIP Code was likely very high. Turns out, it’s on the low-end—especially compared to other ZIP Codes in the area, both on our side of the river and in Portland proper.
Data tells us things we can’t always see—both in communities close to us and those far away. For colleges recruiting students, this kind of demographic data is an invaluable resource. Take my neighborhood for example, the educational attainment of parents is one of the best predictors of students going on to college themselves. Having this type of information at a targetable geographic level like a ZIP Code is critical.
