1. Start with Joliet’s actual service footprint
The U.S. Census Bureau records Joliet city as a municipality in Illinois, with recorded county relationships to Kendall County and Will County. Its 2020–2024 ACS 5-year population estimate is 150,445, with a margin of error of 889. That figure describes the municipality; it does not establish legal demand, search volume, competition, lead volume or revenue. For attribution, the useful local question is narrower: when an inquiry is associated with Joliet or either recorded county relationship, can your team distinguish the relevant service area, matter type and source? A location label by itself is not enough to decide whether a channel is producing qualified inquiries.
Recommended approach
Define the geographic fields your firm actually needs before reviewing reports. Decide whether Joliet, Kendall County and Will County should be treated as separate reporting categories, and document how staff should record an inquiry that mentions more than one place. Then compare those categories with source, practice area and outcome rather than treating the population estimate as a forecast.
