Expanding the Definition of Parcel Data

Parcels are the backbone of property data and offer a single, legible view of legal ownership, current land use, future opportunity, and much more. But property is also inextricably linked to its surrounding geography -- anything that affects the land inevitably influences the parcel. Traditionally, these domains have been thought of as distinct and separate. At  Regrid , we believe a truly complete perspective on property comes from integrating geographic context directly into parcel data.

In partnership with Esri, the world leader in GIS, our  Regrid Premium Parcel Schema  now includes demographic, environmental, natural hazard risk, elevation, and additional geographic enrichments. Over time, we’ll continue expanding these premium layers to deliver an ever-growing world of insight at the parcel level. This enriched data is available to enterprise users via API, bulk files, cloud delivery, and Feature Service delivery straight into Esri software, as well as through the Regrid Property App for iOS, Android, and web.

These new geographic enrichments build upon Regrid’s partnership as Esri’s commercial partner for parcel data. By combining Regrid’s comprehensive parcel dataset with Esri’s state-of-the-art mapping technology, organizations can seamlessly connect nationwide parcel data with the industry’s most trusted GIS platform.

Regrid has released 18 new nationwide parcel-level attributes in partnership with Esri that cover environmental, demographic, natural hazard risk, and elevation qualities. The full list of attributes is outlined at the end of this Story Map. Below, explore six maps that showcase examples and use cases of this new parcel-level data.

Roughness Rating The Roughness Rating in the Regrid Premium Parcel Schema measures how varied the elevation is within each parcel, based on a 10-meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from the U.S. Geological Survey. It’s one of three new elevation attributes (along with Highest Parcel Elevation and Lowest Parcel Elevation) that Regrid and Esri have created in partnership.

• What It Is: A seven-point scale (0 to 6) indicating terrain ruggedness, where 0 = level terrain and 6 = extremely rugged terrain.
• Data Source: Derived from the most recent  USGS 10m DEM  (September 2023).
• How It’s Calculated: Using a zonal statistics operation on each parcel, we evaluate the variation in elevation across neighboring grid cells. The result is a score that captures small or large scale changes in topography within parcel boundaries.
• Why It Matters: Understanding terrain roughness can inform everything from site suitability analyses (like building feasibility) to environmental assessments (such as wildlife habitat or erosion risk). A higher roughness score signals more significant changes in elevation, while a lower score indicates flatter terrain.
• Updates: We plan to refresh these attributes annually.

The map above illustrates how these Roughness Ratings can be visualized in ArcGIS—parcels are extruded and color-coded by their score, offering a quick, intuitive way to see where the land is level versus rugged.

Risk Rating (FEMA’s National Risk Index) Our Risk Rating attribute provides a Census Tract–level indicator of how vulnerable a community is to natural hazards, reflecting five possible categories (Very Low through Very High). It incorporates three main components—Expected Annual Loss (based on 18 different natural hazards), Social Vulnerability, and Community Resilience—combining into an overall percentile ranking of risk.

By matching each parcel to its Census Tract Risk Rating, you can visualize at a glance how natural hazards and community factors converge—shaping everything from emergency planning to real estate strategy. The map below combines Regrid's parcels and Risk Rating data with our Building Footprint data, extruded to reflect building heights, in Buncombe County, NC.

• What the Risk Rating Is:
  • A quintile-based metric (0–20%, 20–40%, etc.) that classifies a community’s risk from Very Low to Very High.
  • Derived from FEMA’s National Risk Index, which aggregates exposure to hazards like floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and more, alongside socio-economic factors and community preparedness.
• How It’s Calculated:
  • FEMA’s methodology factors in Expected Annual Loss (EAL) for each hazard, then adjusts for Social Vulnerability and Community Resilience at the Census Tract level.
  • Because these scores are assigned by tract, each parcel within that tract receives the same rating.
• Why It Matters:
  • Planning & Mitigation: Local governments, insurers, and residents can gauge how at-risk a particular area is for natural disasters.
  • Policy & Funding Decisions: Identifies communities that may need extra support or grant funding for hazard mitigation.
  • Real Estate & Development: Highlights whether an area’s risk could affect property values, insurance costs, or building requirements.
• Where It Fits into Regrid Data:
  • Part of our Premium Schema, offering a high-level snapshot of a community’s natural hazard susceptibility at the parcel scale.

Housing Units Growth (Compound Annual Growth Rate) Our Housing Units Growth attribute measures how quickly the total number of housing units is changing, based on Esri’s block group level forecasts. By indicating past growth (over the last five years) and projecting future growth (over the next five years), it offers a snapshot of residential expansion rates at a hyperlocal scale.

• What It Is:
  • A measure of the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for housing units, both historically and into the near future (e.g., 2024–2029).
  • Derived from Esri’s annual demographic modeling, which incorporates U.S. Census data, building permits, USPS data, construction data, and more.
• How It’s Calculated:
  • Esri aggregates multiple data sources to estimate the total housing units for each Census Block Group.
  • CAGR is then computed to “smooth” out volatility and give a clearer sense of how quickly housing stock is growing, year over year.
• Why It Matters:
  • Planning & Development: Identifies neighborhoods with rapid housing growth—crucial for municipalities, developers, and investors.
  • Infrastructure & Services: Sheds light on where new roads, schools, and utilities may be needed.
  • Market Insight: Helps real estate professionals spot high-demand areas and forecast market trends.
• Where It Fits into Regrid Data:
  • Delivered alongside other demographic variables—like income and population growth—to enrich parcel data with broader community context.
  • Visualizing this attribute in a map (like the Collin County, TX example below) can show active development areas side by side with satellite imagery—revealing how land is being readied for new housing.

By linking each parcel to the surrounding block group’s housing unit growth trends, you can pinpoint where communities are evolving fastest, guiding data-driven decisions on everything from housing policy to commercial site selection.

Inyo County, California is home to Death Valley National Park and contains some of the most stunning elevational gradients in the world. With the Lowest Parcel Elevation and Highest Parcel Elevation attributes which are derived from 10m Digital Elevation Models, parcels can easily be filtered or visualized by elevation without additional analysis.

Median Household Income Regrid's Median Household Income attribute provides a block group–level view of estimated income across the U.S., modeled by Esri Demographics. Each parcel inherits the block group’s median household income figure, giving you an at-a-glance sense of local economic conditions.

• What It Is:
  • Esri’s 2024 median household income estimates, benchmarked to the most current ACS data.
  • Adjusted for inflation and historical trends, modeling local socioeconomic characteristics to reflect real-world variation.
• How It’s Calculated:
  • Esri aggregates and analyzes multiple data sources—like the ACS, BEA, and BLS—then applies a sophisticated model to forecast income for each block group.
  • Nominal dollars are used (i.e., inflation is included), and local variations in economic growth are accounted for.
• Why It Matters:
  • Helps identify disparities in economic well-being even across small geographic boundaries, as illustrated by the stark contrast along Detroit’s Grosse Pointe border.
  • Informs market research, site selection, policy decisions, and community investments by spotlighting local income levels at the parcel scale.
• Where It Fits into Regrid Data:
  • Delivered alongside other Esri demographic variables, giving Regrid Premium Parcel Data clients a holistic look at local demographics, environmental factors, and more—right down to the parcel.

By linking each parcel to its corresponding block group’s modeled median household income, you can visualize and analyze community wealth trends at the most granular level—enabling data-driven insights for everything from urban development to social programs.

Newly enriched parcel level attributes available in the Regrid Premium Schema. Full attribute definitions available in  Regrid's Data Dictionary 

• Demographics: (Available at the parcel level, enriched from Census block group level data)
• Housing Affordability Index
• Population Density
• Population Growth Past 5 Years
• Population Growth Next 5 Years
• Housing Unit Growth Past 5 Years
• Housing Unit Growth Next 5 Years
• Household Income Growth Next 5 Years
• Median Household Income

• Environmental:
• FEMA NRI Risk Rating
• Distance to Transmission Line (m)

• Elevation:
• Roughness Rating
• Highest Parcel Elevation
• Lowest Parcel Elevation