Methodology
How we research a market.
Smart Movers Club combines public data with our own analysis. This page explains what we look at, where it comes from, and where the data stops.
Categories we analyze
- Housing and affordability
- Population and migration
- Jobs and economic indicators
- Crime and safety
- Schools
- Taxes and cost of living
- Local news, resources and professionals
Major data sources
We rely on official and widely used public sources wherever possible, including the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey and population estimates), the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and federal and state agencies. Each data point in the app shows its source and period.
Sourced vs. modeled
Raw figures — population, employment, home values — come directly from their sources. The Smart Movers Grade and Verdict are our own analysis: they combine those figures into one read on a place. We label which is which.
The Smart Movers Grade
Each city briefing carries a Smart Movers Grade and Verdict that summarize how a place performs across the categories above. It is a starting point for your research, not a guarantee of any outcome.
Updates
Data refreshes as each source publishes new releases. Sources publish on different schedules, so every figure carries its own period — always check it.
Limitations
- Public data lags real conditions, sometimes by a year or more.
- City-level numbers can hide big differences between neighborhoods.
- Nothing here is financial, legal or real estate advice.