Corner compares the businesses in every ZIP Code market with what similar markets usually have, for 148 kinds of local business in the 195 largest US metros.
Pick a metro and a kind of business. Corner ranks its ZIP Codes, then opens any of them: what is already there, how it compares with similar markets, and where on the ground that business concentrates.
Each ZIP Code's market is the ZIP and its neighbors within 5 km. We compare its count of each business with markets that have the same households, income, jobs and density.
| Business | In its market | Similar markets | Position | Compared with similar markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery stores | 55 | 68–87 | Fewer | |
| Dental offices | 143 | 188–268 | Fewer | |
| Beauty salons | 131 | 138–182 | Fewer | |
| Pharmacies | 20–26 | 26–38 | In line estimated | |
| Full-service restaurants | 472 | 408–499 | In line | |
| Gyms & fitness studios | 84 | 62–78 | More | |
| Bars | 92 | 49–77 | More |
Choose a business type and Corner orders every ZIP Code of the metro: first the markets with fewer than similar markets, the firmest readings on top, the largest markets first.
| ZIP | Place | In its market | Similar markets | Households | Compared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98499 | Lakewood | 23 | 37–55 | 45,754 | Fewer |
| 98443 | Tacoma | 13 | 21–33 | 28,363 | Fewer |
| 98371 | Puyallup | 7 | 18–28 | 25,873 | Fewer |
| 98421 | Tacoma | 2 | 15–24 | 23,203 | Fewer |
| 98270 | Marysville | 9 | 15–24 | 19,763 | Fewer |
| 98201 | Everett | 4 | 9–16 | 14,552 | Fewer |
Within a market, the block matters. Corner maps every business with its type, the clusters where a type concentrates and the commercial corridors where people already go to shop.
The Census does not publish ZIP Code counts of fewer than three businesses. We estimate the hidden ones from where those businesses are on the map, show the range they allow and say how firm each reading is.
Corner doesn't pick the site for you. It gives every market the same yardstick so the decision starts from evidence.
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Every business type, every ZIP Code, the map and the last mile.
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Every number in Corner comes from a reproducible process, from official files to the reading for each market. We publish what it can and cannot tell you.
Businesses by ZIP and county from the Census, households and income from the ACS, jobs from LEHD, places from Overture Maps.
Each ZIP Code plus its neighbors within 5 km: the area its customers plausibly come from.
Counts the Census suppresses are bounded by county totals and placed with the businesses on the map.
148 models of how many businesses markets with a given demand usually have, fitted on the 195 metros.
Fit measured per business type, stability checked across refits, and a test of whether gaps close over time.
Share of the variation in business counts the model explains, median across business types. Same model, other areas:
Of the readings in the 25 largest metros stayed the same when the model was refitted with 170 more metros. Not one went from fewer to more, or the other way.
Between 2019 and 2023, markets with fewer businesses than their demand usually supports did not close the gap. Corner describes potential; it is not a forecast of openings, sales or success.
It is a starting point, not a verdict. A market can have fewer businesses for good reasons: zoning, rents, commuting patterns or a large competitor just outside it. Corner tells you where to look and with what yardstick; the site visit still matters.
From public sources: the Census Bureau's ZIP Code and County Business Patterns, the American Community Survey and LEHD workplace jobs, plus business places from Overture Maps. The data page lists each source, its year and its license.
The 195 metropolitan areas with 250,000 people or more: 14,751 ZIP Codes where 264.7 million people live. Rural areas and small metros are not covered yet.
The Census does not publish small counts by ZIP Code. When a reading depends on counts we had to estimate, we say so: estimated when they come from the businesses on the map, rough when they come from population only.
Beta accounts are given by GEMEDET, by invitation. Write to us with your organization, the metros you work in and what you want to decide; there is no online sign-up or payment.
No. Every figure is an aggregate of public statistics or a business place. We only keep the account data needed to let you sign in; see the privacy notice.
Tell us who you are, which metros you work in and the decision you're facing. We'll set up your account.