Favorite Demographic Tools? (zipwho.com, homes.com, claritas, etc.) (private school, colleges)

[newbie_hewbie]

Hey, just discovered this forum and it looks like there are a lot of people here who share my interest in geo-demographics. What are some of your favorite online demographic tools, particularly for researching zip codes? I personally like to use 3 sites, each offering something the other ones don't.

1. First, I like to screen all zip codes in a state for some set of criteria (e.g., income, education, married people, etc.). My tool of choice is ZipWho.com -- go check out their list of the wealthiest zip codes in the US.
[url=http://zipwho.com/?mode=demo&filters=MedianIncome_MedianIncomeRank-99-99]ZipWho.com[/url]

2. Next, I try to do some in-depth research into the zip codes that passed my screen. I like Homes.com because they have lots of info and loads of charts and graphs.

3. Finally, I like to read profiles about the residents in the zip code. The Claritas PRIZM system offers the most intriguing profile descriptions. [url=http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp]Prizm > Market Segmentation, Market Segmentation Research, Market Segment Research, Market Segments, Consumer Market Segments, Customer Segmentation[/url]

What FREE online tools do you guys like to use?

Thanks!

-NH

[dogs_on_hogs]

I'm a demographics fanatic and I've used both Homes.com and Claritas years ago. Never heard of ZipWho.com before reading this post. That site is simply incredible. I managed to locate potential retirement communities for my parents in Florida that match these 4 criteria:

1. Median income > $40k
2. Below average cost of living
3. Median age > 40
4. Owner occupied homes > 75%

My ZipWho.com Search Results

I've bookmarked several searches from this site.

Thanks for sharing these tools with the forum, NH!

[megan360]

Acxiom just released a new tool about consumer demographics, internal migration, and lots of other great information- Consumer Research Site (http:www.consumerresearchsite.com - broken link)
Pretty interesting stuff when you really dig into it...

[ckhthankgod]

I've used American FactFinder/ Census Bureau Home Page, Search For Schools, Colleges and Libraries , Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community , Schooldigger.com -- Search and compare elementary, middle, and high schools. , FedStats , U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) - bea.gov Home Page ...... Here's a list of demographic websites:NAIS - Search - Top Demographic Research Websites (http://www.nais.org/search/seriesdoc.cfm?itemNumber=144573&mn.ItemNumber=8577 &sn.ItemNumber=148930&tn.ItemNumber=149100 - broken link)

Links to demographic websites

Demographic Web Sites & Databases (http://library.tulane.edu/research/reference_sources/demographics.php - broken link)