Demographic Overlays
Overview
Demographic overlays let you layer real market context directly onto your listing maps inside any ScoutSpace survey. Powered by Esri, this feature helps brokers go beyond listings, giving clients the site intelligence they need to make confident decisions.
Available overlays
Overlay | Best used for |
Median Household Income | Retail, F&B, and healthcare site selection |
Population Density | Validating trade area size and market depth |
% Households Earning $100K+ | Income concentration (not just averages) |
Bachelor's Degree Attainment Rate | Professional services and lifestyle tenant criteria |
Median Age | Understanding the customer or patient base around a site |
% Commuting 30+ Minutes | Labor shed analysis for office and flex tenants |
FEMA Flood Zones | Surfacing operational risk early in the process |
How to use demographic overlays in a survey
Open a survey in ScoutSpace and navigate to the map view.
Click the three dots in the far right hand side and then More Settings.
Under Survey Display Settings, find the toggle for Show Demographics Data and toggle on. Scroll down and hit Save.
Navigate back to the Map view and find the demographics list on the left side of the map.
Select any overlay from the list. The map will update immediately to display the chosen layer.
Only one overlay is active at a time. Select None to return to the standard map view.
The legend below the overlay list shows the color scale and data ranges for the active layer.
The overlay stays visible when you share the survey with a client via Preview & Share, so your client sees the demographic context alongside the listings.
Use cases by tenant type
Retail and F&B
Use Median Household Income and % HH ≥ $100K to validate that a trade area meets your client's income thresholds before shortlisting a space. Pair with Population Density to confirm there's sufficient market depth.
Medical and Healthcare
Use Median Age and Population Density to understand the patient catchment area around a site. % HH ≥ $100K can also indicate payer mix for practices with elective or out-of-pocket services.
Office and Flex
Use % Commuting 30+ Minutes to assess labor shed — a high commute percentage may indicate fewer local workers available for on-site roles. Bachelor's Degree Attainment Rate can help clients understand the talent profile of a submarket.
Any tenant type
Use FEMA Flood Zones as an early-stage risk flag. If a site falls within a flood zone, surface it before the client tours — not after they're under LOI.
Data source
All demographic data is sourced from Esri using the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Data is displayed at the census tract level.
FAQs
Why don't I see the Demographic Overlay panel? This feature needs to be turned on for each survey. Review steps above to turn it on.
Can my client see the demographic overlay when I share a survey? Yes. When you share a survey via Preview & Share, the map renders with whichever overlay is currently active. If you want the client to see a specific layer, set it before sharing.
Can I display multiple overlays at once? Not currently — only one overlay is active at a time. Toggle between layers using the overlay selector on the map.
How current is the data? Data is sourced from Esri's U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. ACS data is typically updated annually; the specific vintage displayed is noted in the source attribution below the legend.