1. Start with Melvindale’s actual service boundary
The U.S. Census Bureau records Melvindale as a city in Wayne County, Michigan, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 12,554 and a margin of error of 31. That is geographic and eligibility context, not evidence of search demand, case volume, language preference, competition, or staffing requirements. Your intake should therefore begin with the places and matters your firm actually serves. A visitor identifying Melvindale may need a different routing decision from someone outside your service area, but population alone cannot tell you how often that will happen.
Recommended approach
Write the geographic rule into the intake review. Decide whether Melvindale is served directly, whether Wayne County matters are handled under the same rule, and what happens when a visitor is outside your scope. Keep that decision separate from assumptions about how many people will use the form.
