1. Start with the Fitchburg service area, not a population assumption
Your firm may serve Fitchburg within Worcester County while also accepting matters from elsewhere in Massachusetts. Those geographic choices affect how an inquiry should be identified and routed, but the Census population estimate for Fitchburg cannot tell you how many people need legal help, how many will contact your firm or whether additional staff are required. The useful question is operational: when an inquiry comes from someone you serve in Fitchburg, what information must be available before a person decides whether to respond?
Recommended approach
Define the service-area questions and matter categories your team actually uses. Review whether location is collected as an intake answer, whether it changes ownership or urgency, and whether a person needs a human review before any next step. Keep geographic eligibility separate from assumptions about demand.
