1. Start with the geographic relationship, not a population assumption
The U.S. Census Bureau records Inver Grove Heights as a municipality in Dakota County, Minnesota. Its 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate is 35,906, with a margin of error of 75. That is geographic and eligibility context only. It does not establish legal demand, competition, search volume, case volume or revenue. For AI SEO, the useful decision is narrower: does the firm serve Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County, a wider Twin Cities area, or another defined territory? A page should not imply that every nearby person is a prospective client or that a municipal population automatically creates opportunity.
Recommended approach
Use a consultation to confirm the locations the firm actually serves and the locations it wants represented online. Then review whether the website uses those boundaries consistently across firm details, practice pages and location pages. Keep Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County and any metropolitan-area language distinct rather than treating them as interchangeable.
