An estimate of how many people live within any radius of a US point.
How this tool works
The tool sums the latest Census population estimates (vintage 2024) for every US county whose center point falls inside your circle, and shows the largest counties counted. Counties are counted whole, in or out, based on their center, so the total is an estimate: accuracy improves with larger radii, and a radius that clips the edge of a populous county can noticeably under or over count. The method is stated openly so you know what the number means.
What you can do with it
- Estimate the market size within range of a store, venue, or service area
- Compare the population reach of alternative locations
- Sanity-check population claims in articles and pitch decks
- See which counties dominate the population inside a radius
Why use it
How many people live within 50 miles is a genuinely useful business and journalism question that normally requires GIS work. A county-centroid sum answers it in one second at accuracy that is fine for orientation, with the method stated rather than hidden.