A zip code is a veiled socioeconomic signal, with which we infer much about a person who lives within its confines. Just five digits can reveal hints about income, education level, hobbies, political leanings, and more. Not that those clues can't be wrong.
But Esri, a market research and GIS data company, has built a website that examines broad swaths of a people within a postal area--like the Beverly Hills of the South, Medina’s 98039, which happens to be the domain of Bill Gates and a.k.a. Seattle's most expensive zip code, the nation's 5th priciest, according to data from Zillow.
So, what are the people who live in these homes like? Is there a type? Esri thinks so. And if you are neither one of those people, nor do you know anyone who does, then read on to get their broadly personal information.
Everyone there, 100 percent to be exact, in the 98039 club are VIP members of the Top Tier. With an average age of 47.3 (compared to an average of 37.8 for the county, 37.7 for the state, and 37.6 for the country), Esri describes these folks as elite married couples, who, after working in corporate America, often consult or own their own businesses. Children, if they are part of the family, are older.
Since the website reports the area's median income is $200,000, these folks can buy many things that they want, and get away through luxury vacations or second homes in the U.S. or overseas. As art lovers, these folks are supporters of the opera and charities. Spending time with family and a small circle of close friends makes this group tick. That's one reason why Bravo's Real Housewives series has established their popular guilty pleasure of a show here...
So, there you have it: a round up of the approximately 2,127 people per square mile residing in the zip code. So, Esri thinks he knows you and everyone you know and don’t know. Though it may be a gross simplification, marketing and demographic studies are largely accurate. Look up your own ZIP and see if you agree with your own characterization.