Start with the geography your firm actually serves
The U.S. Census Bureau records Murphysboro as a municipality in Jackson County, Illinois, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 6,735 and a margin of error of 251. That is context for defining a Murphysboro service area; it does not establish search demand, competition, calls, cases or revenue. A dashboard review should therefore distinguish a Murphysboro city target from Jackson County activity rather than combine both into an unexplained local total. Ask how locations are named, grouped and filtered before relying on a city or county comparison.
Recommended approach
Bring your firm’s intended geographic definitions to the consultation. Decide whether a report should separate Murphysboro from Jackson County, and ask how city, county, statewide and other location data would be displayed. Do not approve a metric until you know exactly which geography it represents.
