We are excited to announce the release of our 2026B data. This release started with the creation of our new proprietary demographic engine, Vortex, which will revolutionize small area demographics, making AGS data even more accurate than it was before. There were also changes to CrimeRisk with the addition of CrimeRisk Insights+, new Environmental data, and an overhaul of our Quality of Life dataset.
More details of the release can be found below.
Vortex: Our New Engine for More Accurate Demographics
The 2026B estimates and projections are the first built with Vortex, AGS’s new proprietary demographic engine. Vortex draws on a wide range of time-series data, including parcel and ownership changes, building permits, mortgage applications, new road construction, and builder sales pages. It uses machine learning to separate real growth signals from noise and focuses on the small share of areas where most change happens. Each area is classified by change type (such as greenfield expansion, gentrifying, or disaster destruction), forecasts include standard error estimates, and accuracy will keep improving as more data is added.
Read the series: Peering through the Skunkworks Windows | Fueling the Vortex | Inside the Vortex | Emerging from the Vortex
CrimeRisk 2026B and the New CrimeRisk Insights+ Add-On
CrimeRisk 2026B now uses the FBI’s incident-based NIBRS data, greatly expanding the crimes we track. New measures include shoplifting, theft from vehicles, and a new Social Disorder group covering vandalism, trespassing, weapons violations, and more. Summary indexes are now split by weekday or weekend and day or night, so users can see how a location’s risk changes from a Tuesday morning to a Friday night. The new CrimeRisk Insights+ add-on delivers this detail natively at the census block level, which shows local variation that broader geographies hide.
Read more: Sneak Peek: CrimeRisk 2026B | CrimeRisk Insights+: A Closer Look at Crime
Quality of Life: Completely Redesigned
The Quality of Life dataset has been rebuilt, expanding from five indexes to seven and moving from block groups to the much more detailed census block level. The seven indexes are Economic Security, Health and Well Being, Education and Opportunity, Built Environment and Mobility, Safety, Natural Environment, and Social Capital and Civic Life. New measures include Digital Access and Local Self Containment, which shows how much of daily life can happen close to home, along with rebuilt block-level air quality. Results are still available as a 100-based index or a 0–1,000 score.
Read more: Sneak Peek: Quality of Life
Environmental: Expanded Hazard, Climate, and Air Quality Data
The Environmental database adds new measures of natural hazards, air quality, climate, and land cover. Highlights include a national Flood Hazard Index that combines FEMA maps with modeled coverage of the gaps, plus storm surge, sea level rise, landslide, and wildfire burn probability. New air and noise data cover PM2.5, wildfire smoke, and road, aviation, and rail noise. Expanded climate variables include sunny days, extreme heat and cold, and frost-free season, alongside radon, tree canopy, and nighttime light.
Read more: Environmental: New Data for the 2026B Release