Start with the geography your firm actually serves
The U.S. Census Bureau records St. Charles as a municipality in St. Charles County, Missouri, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 71,508 and a margin of error of 99. That is context about the city, not evidence of search demand, legal need, competition, lead volume or revenue. It also does not describe every community your firm may serve. Attribution should therefore preserve the geographic distinctions in your own reporting: St. Charles city, St. Charles County, other Missouri locations and any broader service area should not be treated as one undifferentiated audience.
Recommended approach
Before judging a channel, decide how your intake records location. Review whether staff can distinguish St. Charles city from St. Charles County and from other service areas, then compare those fields with the source journey. Do not use the population figure as a forecast. Use it only to make sure your geographic labels are precise enough for the decisions you want to make.
