Community layers

Community layers are the datasets Pillar overlays on top of the parcel map to help you understand a site in context. They're included with every subscription — turn them on from the Layers button in the filter bar.

What's available#

Demographics#

Pulled from the US Census ACS, joined at the block-group level:

• Median household income
• Population density
• Median age
• Homeownership rate
• Education attainment
• Population growth (YoY)

Every demographic layer renders as a choropleth — the color scale maps to the value. Click any region to see the underlying numbers.

Traffic#

• Traffic counts — AADT (average annual daily traffic) at intersections and along major roadways, sourced from state DOTs where available.
• Drive times — isochrones from a clicked point (5, 10, 15, 30 minutes).

Risk#

• FEMA flood zones — the current NFHL (National Flood Hazard Layer). Color-coded by zone designation (A, AE, X, etc.).
• Wildfire risk — USFS wildfire hazard potential.
• Wetlands — USFWS National Wetlands Inventory.

Infrastructure#

• Utility substations — electric transmission and distribution substations (EIA).
• Broadband availability — FCC Form 477 data, mapped at block level.
• Interstate and major roadways.

Education#

• School districts — boundaries with enrollment, rating, and per-pupil spending.
• Individual schools — K-12 schools with basic attributes.

Jurisdictional#

• County boundaries
• Municipal boundaries
• Census tracts and block groups
• Congressional districts

How layers render#

Each layer has three presentation modes depending on its geometry type:

1. Polygon layers (flood zones, demographics) render as semi-transparent fills with a color scale.
2. Point layers (schools, substations) render as icons that cluster at low zoom levels.
3. Line layers (roads, utility transmission lines) render as colored lines weighted by attribute (e.g., traffic volume).

You can stack multiple layers, but readability suffers quickly past three or four. Use the opacity slider inside each layer's settings to rebalance.

Filtering by community data#

Some community data is also available as a filter, not just a layer. These filters live in the main filter bar and will narrow the parcel result set:

• Median household income — min/max for the block group the parcel sits in.
• Drive time to a point — "within 10 minutes of [address]."
• In/out of flood zone — include or exclude parcels that intersect a specific FEMA flood designation.
• Within school district — filter to parcels inside a named district.

Refreshing layer data#

Community data is refreshed on a cadence that varies by source:

• Census ACS — annually, when the 5-year update lands.
• FEMA flood — quarterly from NFHL.
• Traffic — annually from state DOTs.
• Schools — at the start of each academic year.

You don't need to do anything to get updates; they flow in automatically.