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The 5 Best APIs for Demographics

September 25 2017

There are a handful of ways to get demographic data for your business. The best source for you will depend on how you plan to use the data. This list includes the best sources of demographic data to provide application users an overview of an area. Demographic data can be used from everything to personalizing website experiences to deciding where to build your next business. Because of the variety of uses, it's important to set the parameters up front.

If you are building something like a social platform or a real estate portal, providing your users an overview of an area can be valuable. If that's the type of experience you are trying to create, these are some great sources of demographic data.

1. Onboard Informatics

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If you're looking for access to population, education, ancestry, crime, commute times and weather – this is a great resource.

What Data is Offered: It offers 387 fields of data aggregated from a variety of public and private sources, including (but not limited to): US Census agency, USGS, EPA, FBI, Bureau of Economic Analysis, USPS and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data is returned based on the specific geography in the request. So if your application needs to break down demographic information based on county or even neighborhood or residential subdivision, this API can do it for you.

Pricing Structure: There is a free trial to try out the API and then an easy pay-as-you-go model as you get ramped up. Annual contracts offer competitive pricing, as well.

Pros: The data is geocoded to every other API in the Onboard Developer Platform, which includes things like points of interest, extensive boundary data, property and owner information. So if you're looking to integrate a variety of datasets, this is a great way to do it.

Cons: This resource is not free. There is a free trial so you can access the API and make sure it works for your project and there is a flexible pricing model to get started, but there is a cost associated with this information.

Access the information here.

2. MapFruition

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The MapFruition Demographic Inquiry API provides developers with a simple HTTP/Rest interface to perform queries against our demographic data. All data is returned in JSON format for direct integration with existing map/non-map based products. Users will have access to current year estimates and five year projections for 700+ demographic variables.

What Data is Offered: Categories include population summaries, income characteristics, consumer expenditures, educational attainment, and demographic profiles. MapFruition also provides multiple ways (GIS and Non-GIS Based methods) to extract data of interest. Operations include inquiry by point, buffer (proximity), and travel time. Data coverage includes the contiguous US, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Pricing Structure: Pay as you go, no long-term contracts.

Pros: If you are mapping this data, this option seems like a good bet.

Cons: MapFruition is relatively new and doesn't appear to have enterprise clients at this point, so it's not proven.

Access the information here.

3. CDYNE Demographics API

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Utilize this XML Web Service to return neighborhood-level data at point of entry or in batches run from user systems.

What Data is Offered: CDYNE Demographics, a full-featured statistical resource, instantaneously returns enhanced neighborhood-level census data such as gender, ethnicity, type of residence, median income, median house value, or median number of vehicles as an add-on to databases, websites, or software applications. This service can easily be built into sales, marketing, or even collections and accounts receivable management software.

Pricing Structure: Volume – based pricing

Pros: CDYNE provides samples, development information, and support to aid in the implementation of Demographics. This API uses SOAP protocol and responses are formatted in XML.

Cons: CDYNE is known for communication APIs, so finding this particular database is a little tough. Not sure of the support for this API either.

Access the information here.

4. Demographics PRO API

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The Demographics Pro REST API provides a set of interfaces allowing the integration of social media demographic data into other applications. Some example API methods include aggregating audience analysis, retrieving individual user profiles, and searching for influencers based on demographic input criteria across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other social networks.

Data Available: Demographic information as it relates to social media platforms. If you are looking to create an experience that shows the "feel" of any given area, this might be an interesting approach. You can find out how many musicians or politicians live in an area, in addition to the more standard demographic information like gender and HH income.

Pros: Public documentation is available; developers can request API access here. Demographics Pro is a social media analysis tool that allows users to understand the characteristics of their social media audience. In addition to generic demographic information, you can also search for influencers in any given area.

Cons: If you are looking for more traditional demographic information, these APIs might be a little "noisy." If you are looking to create a unique experience, however, this might be a great resource.

Access the information here.

5. US Census Bureau

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The Census Bureau offers access to key U.S. statistics. The Census application programming interface (API) lets developers create custom apps to reach new users and makes key demographic, socioeconomic and housing statistics more accessible than ever before. The Census Bureau's API allows developers to design web and mobile apps to explore or learn more about America's changing population and economy.

Data Available: Currently available statistics provide key demographic and economic information on the nation, its neighborhoods and areas in between.

Pros: A robust and free data source straight from the federal government.

Cons: There is a lot here and it is tough to sort through. If you're looking to integrate other APIs, you may need to do more extensive integration work.

Access the Information Here.

All of these are great resources for your next project.

To view the original article, visit the Onboard Informatics blog.