Lutra can automatically pull metrics like median income, population growth, or education levels from the US Census API, merging them into your real estate data. Below are top use cases for census-driven market analysis.
Census Data Use Cases
Neighborhood Investment Analysis
Pinpoint areas with higher total population, above-average median household income, or strong population growth.
Evaluate potential rent demand by comparing median home value and median rent with local demographics.
Comparative Market Reports
Merge your property listings or agent data with key commuting and demographic fields to highlight a neighborhood’s lifestyle.
Benchmark multiple ZIP codes side by side for investor presentations.
Development & Redevelopment
Identify housing needs by looking at total housing units, occupied units, or vacancy rate.
Match property types (e.g., family homes, senior-friendly) to local age and household size.
Lutra’s Capabilities
Direct Census Data Integration
Lutra can query the US Census API by ZIP code, pulling current metrics (see below for a list of metrics) without manual lookups or PDF parsing.Merging Census Data
Lutra merges census data with your existing spreadsheets: such as property comps or agent lead lists to give each entry a demographic or socioeconomic dimension.Advanced Filtering & Extraction
Specify what interests you: “Pull the top demographics, median rent, and vacancy rate”, and Lutra returns only those values.
Out of the Box Integrations
Spreadsheets & Docs
Populate or update a Google Sheet or Excel file with newly fetched census data.CRM & Databases
Automatically sync demographic insights into your CRM, providing valuable context for leads or listings.
AI-Powered Analysis
Trend Detection
Over multiple years, Lutra can highlight how median household income or mean travel time changes over time.Demographic Summaries
Lutra transforms raw numbers into insights—for instance, “This ZIP code’s vacancy rate is 2% lower than the surrounding county.”
Playbooks
Save your process for pulling or updating Census data by ZIP code. Re-run it on different properties, states, zip codes.
How to Use Lutra
Start a Chat
“Using the Census API, retrieve the median home value, total population, and bachelors or higher rate for ZIP code 83702. Combine this info with my ‘Boise Listings’ spreadsheet.”
Connect or Upload Data
Connect: Lutra automatically queries the official Census API - just provide the ZIP codes.
Upload: If you have a list of ZIP codes in a spreadsheet, Lutra will process them row by row, appending the new columns.
Refine & Verify
If you need more indicators—like average family size or per capita income—just say so.
Confirm data alignment with the correct Census year or ACS release.
Export & Automate
“Save the updated data in a Google Sheet titled ‘Census Market Analysis.’”
Save the process as a Playbook to run on other properties or zip codes.
Starter Playbooks
Tips for Best Results
Be Specific
Specify exactly which categories you need—housing, demographics, etc.Start Small
Test on a single ZIP code to confirm data accuracy.Iterate & Feedback
If the data set is too large or misses certain points, direct Lutra to refine.Automate
Schedule routine refreshes so your team always has up-to-date Census insights.
What Census Fields Are Available?
Below is a snapshot of the primary categories Lutra can retrieve. You only need to mention the data you’re interested in—Lutra handles the field mapping automatically.
Commuting
Carpooled
Drove alone
Mean travel time
Other transportation
Public transportation
Walked
Worked from home
Workers 16 and over
Demographics
Asian population
Black population
Female population
Hispanic or Latino population
Male population
Median age
Native American population
Other race population
Pacific Islander population
Total population
Two or more races population
White population
Economics
Mean household income
Median household income
Per capita income
Education
Associates degree
Bachelors degree
Bachelors or higher rate
Graduate degree
High school graduate
High school or higher rate
Less than high school
Population 25 plus
Some college
Housing
Median home value
Median rent
Occupied units
Total housing units
Vacancy rate
Vacant units
Social
Average family size
Average household size
Family households
Nonfamily households
Total households
With Lutra’s direct integration, you can retrieve and combine any subset of these data points for a given ZIP code or region.