Methodology and review standards
Version applicable to the July 2026 site build
This page explains how source records become tract-level map layers and how the derived measures should be interpreted. It is intended to make the project's choices auditable, not to imply precision the source data does not support.
Geographic unit and summary statistics
The primary unit is the Census tract. ACS values are 2020–2024 five-year estimates. Site reports generally show the median of available tract values, so they describe a typical mapped tract rather than a population-weighted metro total. City comparisons require at least three assigned tracts. ZIP-level housing-market aggregates are associated with intersecting tracts and must not be read as individual transactions.
Publication quality gate
A metro is published only when at least half of its tracts contain usable geometry, population, income, housing, ACS, market, health and hazard data, and when contextual road data is present. Most published metros substantially exceed that minimum. The gate prevents empty or unfinished template pages; individual metrics still show their own coverage and can be unavailable.
Composite measures
Components are converted to within-metro percentile ranks from 0 to 100, then combined using the weights below. A score is shown only when at least half of the possible component weight is available. Because scores are relative within a metro, an 80 in one metro is not directly equivalent to an 80 in another.
| Layer | Inputs and direction |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood strengths | Higher income (1.0), home value (0.8), school score (1.2), bachelor's share (0.8), newer housing (0.4), ownership (0.5); lower violent crime (1.5), property crime (0.8), poverty (1.0), unemployment (0.5). |
| Hardship indicators | Higher violent crime (1.5), property crime (0.8), poverty (1.5), uninsured share (1.0), unemployment (1.0), food insecurity (1.0), poor health (0.8), and vacancy (0.5). |
| Activity & amenities | Food-and-drink venue density (1.2), population density (1.0), per-capita income (0.8), neighborhood-strength score (1.0), and home value (0.8). |
| Food & drink access | Percentile of nearby restaurant, café and bar locations from OpenStreetMap. This is venue density, not quality or review ratings. |
| Rental-investment indicator | Higher rent (1.2), lower home value (1.2), lower vacancy (0.9), neighborhood strengths (1.0), density (0.5), and lower ownership share (0.4). It is not an investment recommendation. |
Important limitations
- ACS estimates have sampling error and should not be used as exact counts.
- School points are not attendance zones and reported years vary by state.
- Crime coverage is not nationally uniform; incident dots exist only where local agencies publish usable coordinates.
- Natural-hazard scores are FEMA model outputs, not parcel-level hazard determinations or insurance quotes.
- Composite results reflect the selected inputs and weights; users should inspect the underlying measures rather than treating one score as a verdict.