It’s Often in the Details

We recently ran across a post that looked at housing vacancies in Manhattan that was interesting but got us thinking. Most standard demographic reports include a reference to the number of housing units which are estimated to be currently vacant, and this can be an...

Should You Use ZCTA Boundaries?

The ZIP code is commonly used in business applications for two primary reasons – they are well recognized and utilized as the core geographic identifier in a wide range of both postal and non-postal sources. Because they are created by the post office for the purpose...

Building The Dream Team

As we continue our quest to be the premier demographics source, AGS is delighted to announce the formalized recognition of one role, and an exciting addition to our power team. Matt Needham, long the driving force behind our demographic estimates and projections, will...
Small Area Demographic Estimates: The AGS Approach

Small Area Demographic Estimates: The AGS Approach

The discussion of methodology is always a balancing act. At one end of the scale are users who hunger for gritty technical details that one would expect in a doctoral thesis in applied mathematics. Most prefer a short document that covers the basic underlying data...
The Update Frequency Debate

The Update Frequency Debate

How frequently should your demographics be updated? Depending on the specific creator – and there are not very many – that update can be annual, semi-annual, or quarterly. The argument goes something like this: the census is the most accurate data source, but after a...