How we source our numbers

Every figure on this site links to where it came from. Click the dot next to any number to see its source.

Where the numbers come from

We start with official data: the Census Bureau for housing age and home values, the Bureau of Labor Statistics for trade wages, NOAA for climate, and city and state agencies for water, permits and licensing. Where no official figure exists, such as the typical cost of a remodeling job, we use an industry source and mark it as one.

If a source doesn't publish a number for an area, we say so instead of borrowing one from somewhere else.

How each claim is checked

Before a page is published, every figure and every factual statement on it is checked against its source: the number has to appear there, and the source has to support the claim the page makes with it.

When a page is ready

A local page is published only when it has at least four data sections specific to that area, a permit section with the date it was checked, and a verified source and date for every figure. Until then it stays a draft that search engines are told not to index.

The "updated" date on a page changes only when its content does.

Images

Images on this site are illustrations, not photos of finished local projects. We don't name or feature contractors.