1. Set the geographic boundary before reading the numbers
Minot is recorded as a municipality in Ward County, North Dakota. The 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate for Minot city is 47,791, with a margin of error of 34. That is context for deciding which geographic labels must be separated; it does not establish legal demand, search volume, competition, calls, cases or revenue. A dashboard review should therefore distinguish Minot city from Ward County, North Dakota and any other service area your firm elects to track. Do not let a combined geography make a result appear stronger or weaker than it is.
Recommended approach
Ask for geography fields that match your actual service decision. Review whether a call, form or matter is attributed to Minot, Ward County, another North Dakota location or an unknown location. Decide in advance whether city-level and county-level reporting will be viewed separately. If your practice serves people beyond Minot, document that scope rather than treating the city population as a market forecast.
