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ZIP Code data is all the same ... right? Well, not really.
Most users don't realize that the ZIP Code/demographic data they purchase doesn't originate from a single source. For example, the data in our ZIP5Demographic Database is drawn from several different sources and carefully combined so that you get the most complete and accurate data possible.
Initially all of these sources have to be "transformed" in some manner so that they can be associated to the ZIP Codes properly. Some of this initial preparations includes:
- Associate CBSA's, CSA's, PMSA's and MSA's to ZIP Codes
- Gather population figures for CBSA's, CSA's, PMSA's and MSA's to ZIP Codes
- Gather yearly race and population figures for ZIP Codes
- Gather yearly race and population figures for Counties
- Gather age data
- Gather business count and employee data
- Gather Congressional District data for ZIP Codes and Counties
- Gather housing unit data for ZIP Codes and Counties
- Gather house value data for ZIP Codes and Counties
- Gather income data for ZIP Codes and Counties
- Gather household size for ZIP Codes and counties
- Stage all of the above into tables so that they can be processed on a monthly basis
ZipCodePros refreshes our ZIP Code data on a monthly basis. Many additional processes occur every month to make this happen and includes processes such as:
- Purchase USPS data and a license that allows ZipCodePros to legally resell the data. (yearly)
- Purchase ZIP Code Patterns data. (yearly)
- Stage the new USPS data in databases so that it can be properly associated with all demographic data described above.
- Run a series of approximately 30 database processes that associates and combines the demographic data.
- Perform a data quality review. This simple sounding step actually includes running a series of 50 database processes and reviewing the results to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible.
- Finally, the data is extracted from our staging area and formatted into the "downloadable" data.
As you can see there is a great deal of work involved. We take great pride in performing all the steps properly so that you get the best data available.
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