1. Start with the Dowagiac service area, not a population assumption
Your firm may serve clients in Dowagiac city, elsewhere in Cass County, or beyond it. Those geographic relationships should be defined before an automated path is designed. The Census record identifies Dowagiac city as a municipality in Cass County and reports a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 5,732, with a margin of error of 36. That fact can help identify the place your firm wants to serve; it cannot establish inquiry volume, competition, case demand, preferred contact methods or staffing needs. For Automation, the practical question is narrower: which inquiries should enter the same workflow, and which should be treated differently because of service area, matter type, urgency or eligibility?
Recommended approach
Bring a clear service-area definition to the review. Separate Dowagiac city from Cass County and any other places your firm serves. Then decide which geographic information belongs in intake, which belongs in routing rules, and which should simply be recorded for later review. Do not use the population estimate as a forecast for automation capacity.
