Before you sign the lease, see the score.
Get a free AI-powered location report with real Census data, competitor mapping, and a 0–100 opportunity score — for any US market, in seconds. Upgrade to the full report when you're ready to commit.
How the opportunity score is calculated.
We don't hide the math. Every score on LocationGenius is a transparent, reproducible formula over three public data sources. Here's exactly how the 0–100 breaks down.
How underserved is the category?
We compare actual competitor density in your trade area to national benchmarks for your category. More gap = more headroom for a new entrant.
Is the market big enough?
Raw population and density within a 5-mile ring, weighted against the minimum viable footprint for your category.
Can locals afford it?
Median household income vs the category's target income band. A $15 QSR and a $60 tasting menu don't have the same fit.
What a real search looks like.
Pick a category to see the decision the free report drives — then how the full report fills in the next move.
Marcus was about to sign a lease in downtown Austin.
He ran a free report. The score came back 41 — twelve direct competitors inside a 2-mile radius. The screener flagged a nearby suburb he hadn't considered, scoring 87. He paid $15 for the full report.
The full report ranked three corridors inside that suburb, showed the supply gap (room for 7 more shops) and the income profile that fit specialty coffee. He signed the lease there instead.
- 01Free screener on the downtown ZIP → score 41, oversaturated.
- 02Free screener on the suburb ZIP → score 87, underserved.
- 03Paid City Report → three ranked corridors, demographics, AI picks.
- 04Signed the lease on the #1 ranked corridor.
From curious to scored in about four minutes.
Pick a category
200+ retail and service categories — coffee shops, gyms, salons, restaurants, clinics, and more.
Drop a location
A ZIP, city, or street address. We pull Census and OpenStreetMap data for the surrounding trade area.
Get your score
Free snapshot arrives in ~4 minutes. Upgrade for the 17-section decision doc if the signal looks right.
Every number traces to a source you can check.
We don't aggregate mystery "insights." Every cell in every report links to a public, named data source — with the year and release version it came from.
- Census TIGER — state, county, tract, ZCTA, block-group polygons237K BG
- ACS 5-Year — age, race, household, language, daytime pop57K tracts
- ACS Income — median HH, 6 income brackets, poverty rate6 bands
- BLS CBP — employment by NAICS sector3,234 co.
- BLS LAUS — monthly unemployment by county11K rows
- LEHD LODES8 — workplace + residence jobs238K BG
- OpenStreetMap — business POIs, hours, category60K Austin
- FDIC — active bank branch locations78,353
- HRSA — federally-qualified health centers18,880
- NCES Schools — public K-12 + postsecondary108K
- GTFS / CapMetro — transit stops & routes2,348
- Overpass Roads — road network for isochronesNational
- ACS Housing — median value, gross rent, age, tenureTract
- HUD FMR FY24 — Fair Market Rents 0–4 bdrm3,228 FMR
- ACS Commute — mode, vehicle ownership, WFHTract
- EPA Walkability v3 — National Walkability Index220K BG
- ACS Education — % bachelor's or higherTract
- USDA Food Access — low-income, low-access flags60,352
- CDC PLACES 2023 — 15 health outcomes per tract57,152
- ACS Insurance — uninsured rate, disabilityTract
- ACS SNAP — SNAP enrollment rateTract
- EPA AQS — county-level air quality index4,006
- CDFI Opportunity Zones — federally-designated tracts8,764
- FBI CDE — state violent + property crime rates2019–22
- FEMA NRI — wildfire, seismic, tornado, hurricane risk3,232 co.
- FEMA Flood Zones — flood polygon overlaysAustin
- NOAA NCEI — severe storm events 2014–23359K
- EPA Superfund — NPL + proposed + non-NPL sites14,805
- EPA TRI — Toxics Release Inventory facilities64,958
- NOAA Climate Normals — 30-yr temp & precip9,800 sta
- Claude AI — writes the narrative with inline citationsSonnet 4.6
- Opportunity Score — transparent 3-factor formula0–100
- Trade-area engine — 1/3/5-mi rings + isochronesPer-ZIP
- Category benchmarks — national supply & demand rates200+
- Ranking engine — counties, states, metrosAll levels
- Citations — every cell links back to sourceAlways on
Real decisions. Real leases signed.
Small and medium retail operators who used a free screener first, then paid for the full picture.
I was about to sign a lease in downtown Austin for my juice bar. The free screener showed 12 competitors within 2 miles and recommended a suburb I hadn't considered, scoring 87. Saved me from a costly mistake.
As a first-time restaurant owner, I had no idea how to evaluate a location. The free report pointed me at the right ZIP, and the $15 upgrade gave me everything I needed — demographics, foot traffic, competitor density.
I manage site selection for a fitness franchise with 30+ locations. The State Report for Georgia identified three counties we'd completely overlooked. The competitor mapping alone would've cost us thousands from a traditional firm.
Questions answered.
See your market before you commit a dollar.
Free. No credit card. No signup. Just an opportunity score and the data behind it — in about four minutes.