1. Start with the geography you actually serve
The Census records Chatham as a municipal town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 6,681 and a margin of error of 19. That is a description of the town, not proof of legal demand, competition, search volume, leads or revenue. A dashboard should therefore keep geography precise rather than treating every nearby inquiry as a Chatham result or treating a Chatham address as the full market. Ask how locations are defined, whether a city or town is attached to a lead by its own information, and how the firm distinguishes Chatham from other Barnstable County locations and from Massachusetts-wide activity.
Recommended approach
Before reviewing performance, agree on the geographic labels your partners will use. A useful consultation should show how location is recorded, where it appears in reporting, and which decisions can legitimately be made from it. Do not use the town’s population estimate as a forecast. Use it only as context for deciding how carefully the dashboard should separate town, county and state views.
