Sep 2, 2025
Measure population inside franchise territories—accurately and defensibly—using buffers, isochrones, or custom polygons.
Why population accuracy matters
Franchise performance is tightly linked to the true size and makeup of the serviceable population. Underestimate and you’ll shortchange sales projections; overestimate and you’ll overbuild. In this post we show how to measure population inside your proposed territories—quickly and defensibly—so your market plans stand up to scrutiny.
What counts as a “territory”?
In practice, a territory is any area you define on a map: a buffer around a flagship store, multiple ZIPs grouped together, a custom drive-time isochrone, or a hand-drawn polygon that mirrors your brand’s local rules.
How to calculate population inside a territory
Create a working folder and keep all shapes (polygons, isochrones, buffers) in it.
Select a data vintage (LandScan 2016–2023; WorldPop 2024+) so results are consistent across shapes.
Define the area:
Buffer a point for radius-based catchments (e.g., 3–5 km).
Isochrone for real-world drive or walk time.
Polygon for custom boundaries (match ops rules or combine ZIPs).
Read the results: total population, age/sex breakdown, area (geodesic), density, and income where available.
Export to Excel (tabular) or KML/KMZ (geometry) for handoff to BI/GIS or your franchise development team.
Choosing between buffers, isochrones, and polygons
Buffers: fast for radius tests and quick comps, great in early planning.
Isochrones: best proxy for access and convenience in urban/suburban settings.
Polygons: when legal/operational boundaries must be respected or merged.
Quality checks before you present
Vintage: confirm your selected year (it’s shown in the UI).
Overlap logic: folder-level results dissolve overlaps to avoid double-counting.
Complex KMLs: simplify large or highly detailed shapes to avoid client-side timeouts.
FAQ
Do isochrones update if I drag the centroid? Regenerate to apply a new centroid; the result then behaves like a normal polygon.
Can I combine multiple territories? Yes—put them in one folder. The folder summary dissolves overlaps to produce a single, recomputed boundary.
Can I export for my GIS/BI tool? Yes—use KML/KMZ for geometry or Excel for tabular outputs.
Next steps
Using isochrones for catchments
Importing KML / KMZ
Working with marker files (CSV/Excel)
