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Get started with U.S. Updated Demographics
Part 3: Work with Updated Demographics data
In Part 1: Understanding the Updated Demographics portfolio tutorial , you learned about the basics of Updated Demographics data -what it is, who creates the data, and its advantages over other data sources. In Part 2: Explore lifestyle, behavioral, business, and census data , you learned about the other types of analytical databases that coincide with and round out the Updated Demographics portfolio. In this section, we provide four quick steps to help you access and start using the data.
How to start
Choosing data in many ways is like using a road map. Before you can begin any meaningful analysis, you need to know your starting point and destination. In this next section, we outline four basic steps as a guide to working with Updated Demographics:
- Set a goal or goals for your project
- Explore Updated Demographics variables
- Decide which Updated Demographics data you want to use in your analysis
- Gain access to Updated Demographics data
Let's break down each of these steps.
Step 1
Set a goal, or goals for your project
One of the first steps toward choosing the right data for your project is defining your goal or goals. For example, do you need data for such thing as the following:
- Conducting site selection research to open new retail locations
- Planning new community centers for youth or seniors, or for affordable housing locations
- Optimizing merchandise selections to best serve your community at your existing retail location,
- Strategizing tailored marketing and advertising campaigns,
- Learning where your ideal customers are within your trade area
Step 2
Explore Updated Demographics variables
Understanding what type of demographics are available from Esri is critical and allows you to use the best data possible for your data analysis.
There are several ways to explore demographic data tables and variables that Esri provides. For example, you can view variable lists within Esri data catalogs (in Excel format).
Each data catalog contains a table of contents. Hyperlinks allow you to jump to specific data content of interest. You can click tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet to explore the variables within the data category.
The online Data Browser provides an interactive way to explore Esri demographic data for the United States and for more than 170 other countries.
Data browsers are also accessible in app interface products such as ArcGIS Business Analyst . You can view and explore data by browsing each of the categories.
You can revisit the Learn essential demographic data skills Part 2: Data about people tutorial if you need a refresher on how to use the data browser.
You can view data from a number of sample reports or infographics within Esri software products. This is a sample Age by Sex Profile report, available with an ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App subscription.
You can also purchase (and view) Esri reports without a software license. This option is ideal if you analyze 50 or fewer reports a year.
Step 3
Decide which Updated Demographics data you want to use in your analysis
Once you explore all the data possibilities, you can decide which specific data tables or variables you need for your analysis.
The most common Updated Demographics datasets such as age, population, race, and income, can be found in Esri reports or infographics and used as part of your analysis. These variables help build a profile of the area you are researching to gain a better understanding of the population within your geographic area of interest.
Step 4
Gain access to Updated Demographics data
There are many ways to gain access to Updated Demographics. You can access demographics using Esri software and through apps such as ArcGIS Business Analyst , ArcGIS for Excel , or ready-to-use maps from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
For use outside of the Esri platform, data files are available in CSV, dBase, Excel, shapefile, or file geodatabase formats.
Contact Esri Data Sales Specialists with data questions at 800-447-9778 or send an email to: datasales@esri.com
In this next section we show how to access data for a typical site location example using Esri reports and maps.
Let’s say you wanted to open a new dental office and need to learn about the demographic composition of a proposed site.
One way to start your data project is to use ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App . Within the app, you can choose from infographics or standard reports. For this example, a Demographic and Income Profile report for a 30-minute drive time was chosen.
This two-page report summarizes important information that not only describes age, income, race, and tenure, but also highlights how these statistics have changed (or expected to change using Esri’s five-year forecast) since 2020.
The second page of the report uses charts and graphs for a quick overview of key demographics when doing site location analysis.
What we learn A demographic report provides valuable insight into an area. For example, we learn the proposed site reveals the majority of occupied housing units are owned, the people in this trade area earn close to a median annual income of $95,000, and have a median age of nearly 44 years.
Site location using additional data
Incorporating additional data information for the same proposed site location from earlier helps to answer these two questions:
- Are direct competitors present in my proposed trade area?
- Is there a high demand for dental services?
To help us answer the question of the number of competitors in the area, we created a potential site location analysis using drive times and competitor business locations using ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App. The map image displays polygons for every dental office within a 10-, 20-, and 30- minute drive time using the proposed site address information.
What we learn Running a proximity analysis and adding relevant business locations onto a map can help evaluate the competitive landscape. Knowing the spatial distribution of direct competitors, coupled with insights gleaned from Esri's demographic profiles will add further clarity to your analysis.
Next, to help us understand whether there is high demand for dental services in the area, the same web app was used to access Esri Market Potential data. Within the app, a map was created using the index variable of persons who visited a dentist within the last 12 months. Areas in dark brown have the highest demand for dental services. Areas in white show average demand, while areas in dark teal highlight the lowest demand.
What we learn: With the use of Updated Demographics, market potential, and business data, we now have better insight to determine if the proposed site should be considered for opening a dentist office.
Read how Mortenson Dental Partners uses Esri data to help understand consumer growth, and its competitive landscape.
Next steps
Updated Demographics provides decision makers with the most current information available to understand and track changes in the population, consumer behavior, and broader market area trends. In this tutorial series, you learned about key aspects of working with Updated Demographics data. Over the course of these three stories, you learned the following:
- What is Updated Demographics data, who creates the data, and why use it
- Other key data tables that comprise the Updated Demographics portfolio
- How to start a data analysis project, including a site location example
- How to explore data using browsers and catalogs
- How to gain access to the data using Esri software products, reports, or stand-alone files
To continue learning about Updated Demographics -how to best use and interpret the data, explore the tutorial series below. Databases such as Tapestry, Market Potential, Daytime Population, Labor Force, index-ratio measures, and many others are available.
Learn more
Data methodologies
Esri data estimates and forecasts are developed from a mix of inputs from Esri U.S. Updated Demographics , the decennial census, the ACS, and business data from Data Axle. Represented as point-in-time estimates as of July 1, the data is available for Esri’s standard geographic areas and for any user-defined polygon such as a ring or drive time. Read the Esri Updated Demographics Methodology Statement for more information
Frequently asked questions
Use our data reference page to help answer additional questions about Esri Demographics.
Helpful links
Connect with us
If you have a topic you would like covered in a data tutorial to help you better understand U.S. data, send us an e-mail with your topic idea.