1. Start with your Topsfield service area, not a population assumption
The U.S. Census Bureau records Topsfield as a municipal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 6,564 and a margin of error of 18. That is geographic context, not evidence of call demand, legal need, competition or revenue. Your decision should therefore begin with the callers your firm actually serves: Topsfield clients, people elsewhere in Essex County, and any additional Massachusetts communities within your stated practice area. Keep those territories distinct when reviewing phone records and intake outcomes.
Recommended approach
List the locations your firm accepts matters from, then decide whether the answering flow should ask for location, matter type, urgency and contact information. Do not use the Topsfield population figure to forecast missed calls. Use your own call records and staff observations to identify unanswered, after-hours, overflow and unclear calls.
