Community Attributes
Community Attributes is a Seattle-based boutique consultancy that delivers community and economic development strategy, economic research, land use planning, and interactive mapping tools to government agencies, economic development organizations, and nonprofits across the U.S.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Community Attributes does
Community Attributes Inc. is a privately held boutique consulting firm founded in 2005 by Chris Mefford and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The firm provides community and economic development strategy, economic research, land use planning, and dashboard/data tools to government agencies (city, county, state), regional economic development organizations, nonprofits, and private sector clients. Its work spans strategic planning, economic impact studies, market and corridor analysis, equity mapping, business retention and expansion, and site selection, with named engagements for clients such as the Port of Seattle, City of Tacoma, City of Boise, Washington State Department of Commerce, Columbia River Economic Development Council, and Casey Family Programs.
The firm's core product is CAI Live, a proprietary interactive mapping platform that integrates multiple public and proprietary data sources into configurable, dynamically updateable dashboards and visualizations. The platform is built with TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Redux, Next.js, Express, HTML, and CSS on the front end, with Postgres, SQL, C#, PHP, Python, and Ruby supporting data systems. CAI Live supports equity index mapping, parcel-based analytics, business retention tracking, site selection tools, and internal reporting, and has been productized as a configurable offering for clients requiring recurring access, including the City of Tacoma Equity Map (used by ~200 users weekly) and the WA Department of Commerce dashboard processing 3,000+ activity reports.
Revenue is generated through two streams: professional services fees from consulting engagements (strategic planning, economic research, land use planning) and platform-related revenue from CAI Live configuration, customization, and ongoing access. The firm sells direct to enterprise buyers, primarily through relationships with government, economic development, and nonprofit decision makers, and complements direct engagement with content marketing via case studies and LinkedIn/Twitter presence. Community Attributes operates nationally through offices in Seattle, Denver, and Memphis while solving problems locally; pricing is not publicly disclosed.
Community Attributes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Attributes
- Legal name
- Community Attributes Inc.
- Website
- https://communityattributes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Attributes is a Seattle-based boutique consultancy that delivers community and economic development strategy, economic research, land use planning, and interactive mapping tools to government agencies, economic development organizations, and nonprofits across the U.S.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Attributes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community and Economic Development Consulting
- NAICS
- Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where Community Attributes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Community Attributes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Community and economic development consulting including strategic planning, economic research, and land use planning services delivered to government agencies, economic development organizations, nonprofits, and private sector clients.
- CAI Live Platform: Proprietary interactive mapping platform offered as a configurable solution for planning, economic development, site selection, and philanthropy. Revenue derived from platform configuration, customization, and ongoing access.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Community Attributes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Attributes provides community and economic development consulting, including strategic planning, economic research, land use planning, and custom dashboard and data tools, paired with its proprietary CAI Live interactive mapping platform. Deliverables include economic profiles, market research, land use plans, equity index maps, dynamic site inventories, and configurable dashboards configured with client and proprietary data for planning, economic development, site selection, and philanthropy applications.
Product overview
Community Attributes offers a unified portfolio centered on its proprietary CAI Live mapping platform, complemented by a suite of consulting services. CAI Live serves as the core technology product—an interactive, configurable mapping and data visualization platform that supports equity mapping, business retention and expansion, program planning and evaluation, parcel-based analytics, internal tracking and reporting, and site selection. This platform is paired with advisory services including Strategic Planning, Economic Research, Land Use Planning, and Dashboard & Data Tools, enabling clients to access, contextualize, and visualize data for community and economic development strategies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CAI Live: Proprietary interactive mapping platform configurable for planning, economic development, site selection, and philanthropy solutions.
Products and services
- CAI Live CAI Live is Community Attributes' proprietary interactive mapping platform, configurable for a broad range of solutions for planning, economic development, site selection, philanthropy, and more. It is a dynamic, updateable solution that supports equity mapping and analysis, business retention and expansion, program planning and evaluation, parcel-based analytics, internal tracking and reporting, and site selection and promotion, drawing on multiple data sources and proprietary client data.
- Strategic Planning Strategic planning and community visioning services that assist communities and regions in realizing their long-term goals through technical expertise and best practices, supporting clients such as the City of Boise (economic development strategic plan) and Commerce City, Colorado.
- Economic Research Economic profiles and market research services providing a 360-degree understanding of economic visions, market opportunities, and financial resource management, including economic impact analyses such as the Washington statewide aerospace study and the Northwest Seaport Alliance study.
- Land Use Planning Sustainable urban development planning services connecting economic trends and urban activity to land use planning and development strategies, including corridor plans and market analyses such as for the City of Farmington Hills' 12 Mile Road and Orchard Lake Road commercial corridors.
- Dashboard & Data Tools Custom data tools and dashboards for economic development organizations supporting activity tracking, reporting, and data-driven storytelling for business retention, expansion, and recruitment, including the Washington State Department of Commerce economic development dashboard processing 3,000+ activity reports.
Quantifiable outcome
- Port of Seattle and Tacoma combined supported 265,000+ jobs and nearly $55 billion in business output
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Attributes
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Community Attributes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Community Attributes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ohio State University Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and EthnicitycoreKirwan Institute developed the methodology for the Tacoma Equity Index. CAI partnered with the City of Tacoma and used the Kirwan methodology to create an intuitive visual application of the equity tool via CAI Live platform.
- Casey Family ProgramscoreCAI partnered with Casey Family Programs to develop the Community Opportunity Map, an interactive tool highlighting community aspects associated with safe children and strong families. The tool uses U.S. Census Bureau indicators and was informed by HUD's community factors framework.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Attributes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm whose urban planning, economics, and community development practices compete with CAI for large municipal strategic-planning RFPs. It is a far larger incumbent in adjacent planning and advisory services.
- Esri: Esri is the dominant GIS platform provider to U.S. governments, including economic development and planning agencies. It represents both a complementary toolchain and a broader incumbent competing for the mapping and analytics layer that CAI Live sits on top of.
- HR&A Advisors: HR&A Advisors is a national economic development, real estate, and public-sector advisory firm. It competes with CAI for large city and port authority engagements but operates at greater scale and across a wider portfolio of urban development, infrastructure, and resilience work.
Direct peers
- TIP Strategies: TIP Strategies is an economic development consulting firm that delivers strategic plans, workforce studies, and target-industry analyses for cities, regions, and EDOs. It is the closest direct peer to CAI in combining economic development advisory with proprietary data tools.
- Camoin Associates: Camoin Associates is an economic development consulting firm offering market analytics, business retention, and impact analysis for economic development organizations and municipalities. Like CAI, it blends consulting with analytics deliverables for public-sector clients.
- Fourth Economy: Fourth Economy is an economic and community development consulting firm serving regions, cities, and foundations with strategy, planning, and data analysis. It is comparable to CAI in client base, scale, and focus on community-centered economic development.
- Praxis Strategy Group: Praxis Strategy Group is a boutique economic and community development consulting firm serving cities, counties, and EDOs with strategic plans, equity analyses, and workforce studies. It overlaps with CAI's core consulting offerings at comparable scale and footprint.
- Avalanche Consulting: Avalanche Consulting is a community and economic development consultancy delivering strategic plans, workforce analyses, and community visioning for cities, states, and nonprofits. It competes for the same RFPs as CAI's Strategic Planning and Land Use Planning services.
- Banneker Associates: Banneker Associates provides economic development and real estate advisory services to public agencies and private developers. It overlaps with CAI on real estate and economic impact work for government clients.
Emerging players
- Place Strategies: Place Strategies is a site selection and economic development analytics firm providing mapping and demographic tools to EDOs and brokers. It competes most directly with CAI Live's site selection and parcel-based analytics modules.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Community Attributes social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Attributes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Attributes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Community Attributes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Attributes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Attributes
What does Community Attributes do?
Community Attributes provides community and economic development consulting, including strategic planning, economic research, land use planning, and custom dashboard and data tools, paired with its proprietary CAI Live interactive mapping platform. Deliverables include economic profiles, market research, land use plans, equity index maps, dynamic site inventories, and configurable dashboards configured with client and proprietary data for planning, economic development, site selection, and philanthropy applications.
Is Community Attributes a public or private company?
Community Attributes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Community Attributes founded?
Community Attributes was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Attributes based?
Community Attributes is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Community Attributes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are CAI Live Platform.
Who are Community Attributes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AECOM, Esri and HR&A Advisors. Direct peers are TIP Strategies, Camoin Associates, Fourth Economy, Praxis Strategy Group, Avalanche Consulting and Banneker Associates. Place Strategies is listed as an emerging player.
Does Community Attributes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Attributes.
What industry is Community Attributes in?
Community Attributes's product category is Community and Economic Development Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning, with a secondary code of BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its NAICS code is 9251 and its SIC code is 8742.