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U.S. 2026 dataset

The U.S. 2026 Business Analyst dataset can be purchased and downloaded from My Esri. To download and unpack the data, you need 229 GB of free space on the local drive you are using.

About Esri's U.S. 2026 data

Each year, Esri releases downloadable datasets that provide demographic and points of interest data for geographic regions, including the United States. The U.S. 2026 data includes the following:

  • Esri Updated Demographics (Esri)—The 2026 base demographic dataset contains updated U.S. demographic data including current-year and five-year forecasts for more than two thousand demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. This dataset includes tables covering key characteristics of the population, households, housing, age, race, income, and more. This layer includes variables from the Esri Updated 2026/2031 Demographics, Census 2010 Demographics, and ArcGIS Tapestry databases.

  • American Community Survey (Esri, American Community Survey)—Summary data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates dataset. Released by the Census annually, this data is estimated based on the aggregation of the 5-year rolling sample survey results. The variables include an estimated value (ACS), the margin of error for the estimate (MOE), and a reliability flag (REL) based on thresholds that Esri has established based on the usability of the estimates.

  • Census 2020, Census 2010, and Census 2000 (Esri, U.S. Census Bureau)—Demographic data from previous Census years, which has been standardized and aggregated into Esri’s 2026 geographic boundaries, allowing you to work across Census vintages using the most recent boundaries.

  • ArcGIS Tapestry (Esri)—Segmentation data updates for 2026, classifying communities into 12 LifeMode groups and 60 segments.

  • Esri Consumer Spending (Esri, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)—The 2026 Consumer Spending database is based on the 2023 and 2024 Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CEX) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data is reported by product or service and includes total expenditures, average spending per household, and a Spending Potential Index (SPI). The database includes details about the products and services that consumers are buying.

  • Esri Market Potential (Esri, MRI-Simmons)—The 2026 Market Potential database provides details about what type of goods, services, and activities consumers use and demand. The database includes consumer attitudes on topics such as spending, health, and the environment and is based on survey data from MRI-Simmons; providing the expected number of consumers and a Market Potential Index (MPI) for thousands of items.

  • Esri Retail Demand by Industry (Esri, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)—The 2026 Retail Demand database provides an understanding of where consumers are spending money on an annual basis in 13 NAICS Subsectors and 30 NAICS Industry Groups. Data include total expenditures, average spending per household, and an index comparing spending to the U.S. average. The database is based on the 2023 and 2024 Consumer Expenditure Surveys by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the 2017 Economic Census by the U.S. Census Bureau.

  • Esri Business Summary (Data Axle)—The 2026 Esri Business Summary data summarizes the business locations from Data Axle for specified North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) summary categories by geography. The data includes the total number of businesses, total sales, and total number of employees for each of the 62 NAICS groupings. Business Summary data is updated to April 2026, providing information on approximately 13 million active businesses in the U.S.

  • Esri Urbanicity Type (Esri)—The 2026 Urbanicity database provides an Urbanicity Type classification system that designates United States population (at the Census block geography level) into one of 10 categories. Categorization is based on characteristics such as population density, distance from an urban center, and socioeconomic dependence on the urban core. Urbanicity Type classifications are sourced from Esri Updated Demographics, Census TIGER geography, Census 2020, and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definitions of principal cities.

  • Crime Indexes (Applied Geographic Solutions)—The 2026 Esri Crime Indexes data includes crime indexes that provide an assessment of the relative risk of seven major crime types: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. It is modeled using data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report and demographic data from the Census and AGS.

  • U.S. 2026 geographic boundaries—Geographic boundary updates based on TIGER 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (for CBSAs), The Nielsen Company (for DMAs), and TomTom (for ZIP codes). New and altered boundaries include ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs), and Neighborhoods.

Download and set up the data

To use the U.S. 2026 data, you must download and set it up. The process follows the steps below:

  1. Download or copy the archive files and extract them to a local or shared network folder.

  2. Make a connection to the dataset from the ArcGIS Pro Options dialog box.

  3. License the data.

Note:

The 7-Zip open source program is required to extract and automatically reassemble the Business Analyst data files. You must install 7-Zip to extract the necessary files from the downloads. If you already have 7-Zip installed, it is recommended that you install the latest version to ensure a more efficient extraction process. You can download 7-Zip from the official site: https://www.7-zip.org/.

Download and extract Business Analyst dataset files

You can download the U.S. 2026 Business Analyst dataset files from My Esri. To download the files from My Esri, complete the following steps:

  1. On the My Esri site, click Downloads and click All Products and Versions.

  2. In the Products section, under All Other Products, type Business Analyst in the Quick Search text box.

    A list of products is shown.

  3. Find U.S. Data for use with ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro and click View Downloads.

  4. On the Download Components tab, click Data and Content to expand the list of files.

    For the U.S. 2026 data, there are nine zipped files. Each must be downloaded to a folder on your local drive. You need 229 GB of free space on the drive you are using.

    There is also one zipped file containing semantic search resources. If you plan to enable semantic search, you must download this file: ESRI_BA_2026_US_Semantic_Search_Resources.7z.

    Tip:

    Once you have downloaded and uncompressed the files, you can delete the 7-Zip files and install directories to free up space.

  5. Next to the first data file, click Download.

    Note:

    Depending on your browser, you may be prompted to select a location where you want the file downloaded.

  6. Repeat step 5 for the remaining eight data files and the optional semantic search file.

  7. Right-click ESRI_BA_2026_US_Data_Update.7z.001 and click Show more options > 7-Zip > Extract Here.

    The ESRI_BA_2026_US_Data_Update install directory is created upon completion of the extraction.

  8. If the optional semantic search file was downloaded, right-click the file and click Show more options > 7-Zip > Extract Here.

    The semantic search Resources folder is extracted to the correct location in the data folder.

Note:

You can verify that your downloaded files match the originals at the source by following the instructions in Verify an Esri download using the checksum. Matching your downloaded files to the originals ensures all files downloaded correctly, preventing potential issues.

Set up semantic search

When searching for variables and points of interest, you can opt to use semantic search, an AI-enhanced smart search technology that provides improved search results. Traditional search engines work by finding exact or partial matches between a search term and variable/point of interest names, descriptions, and keywords. Semantic search supports natural or conversational language, understands the meaning in language and the connections between related words, and returns search results that provide the closest match to the meaning behind your search.

Semantic search functionality depends on multiple factors:

  • ArcGIS Pro is installed with AI Models features enabled

  • Semantic search resources are downloaded and installed

  • The application display language is English

  • A processor supporting the AVX2 instruction set

Enable AI Models features during ArcGIS Pro installation

As of ArcGIS Pro 3.3, users can enable advanced features powered by AI technology by opting in during the ArcGIS Pro installation process. For semantic search to work with the Business Analyst dataset, the Semantic Search feature must be selected during ArcGIS Pro installation.

To learn more about installing the Semantic Search feature, see Install ArcGIS Pro and optional components (steps 9-10).

Download and install the semantic search language model

To use semantic search with Esri's U.S. 2026 data, you must download and install the language model included with the U.S. 2026 data update file.

  1. If not done already, download the semantic search resources file (step 6 above) to the same location as the data files.

  2. Install the semantic search resources (step 8 above). Right-click the semantic search file and click Show more options > 7-Zip > Extract Here.

    Note:

    To maintain the correct file structure, the semantic search file should be extracted to the same location as the ESRI_BA_2026_US_Data_Update folder.

Hardware requirements

Semantic search for local data sources is automatically disabled on processors that do not support the AVX2 instruction set. For additional information about system requirements, see ArcGIS Pro system requirements.

Connect to the dataset in ArcGIS Pro

To start using a local Business Analyst dataset, you must first connect to it using the Options dialog box in ArcGIS Pro. To connect to the dataset, do the following:

  1. Open the ArcGIS Pro settings page in one of the following ways:

    • From an open project, click the Project tab on the ribbon.

    • From the start page, click the Settings tab .

  2. On the Options dialog box, under Application, click Business Analyst.

  3. In the Business Analyst Options pane, click the Add Dataset button.

    The Add Business Analyst Dataset dialog box appears.

  4. Browse to the directory where the Business Analyst data is stored and select the dataset_description.xml file. Click OK.

    You can view information about the dataset in the Name, Path, and Status fields. Status shows whether the data is licensed. The data must be licensed before it can be used in ArcGIS Pro.

  5. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

License the data

To unlock the data supplied by the local Business Analyst dataset, you must download the .sdlic file and install it.

Download the license file

To download the data license file from My Esri, complete the following steps:

  1. Sign in to My Esri.

  2. Click Licensing and click License Files.

  3. Click Business Analyst and StreetMap Premium.

  4. Click Download to download the .sdlic file.

Install the license file

To install the license file in ArcGIS Pro, complete the following steps:

  1. Start ArcGIS Pro as an administrator.

  2. On the ArcGIS Pro start page, click Settings in the upper left corner of the application window. Alternatively, if you have a project open, click the Project tab on the ribbon.

  3. On the Settings page, click Licensing.

  4. Under Settings, click Manage your data licensing.

  5. Click Add and browse to where the .sdlic file is located.

  6. Select the .sdlic file and click Open.

    In the Manage Data Licenses window, a list of the Business Analyst datasets is shown.

  7. Click OK and close the Licensing window.

  8. Restart ArcGIS Pro.

Authorize ArcGIS StreetMap Premium license

The Business Analyst dataset includes a limited license for ArcGIS StreetMap Premium for North America 2026 R2, which includes locators for ArcGIS Pro, the StreetMap Premium street network for the United States, and the StreetMap Premium basemap, which can be used exclusively with Business Analyst workflows. The license included with the Business Analyst dataset does not include all features of StreetMap Premium.

Caution:

Using the StreetMap Premium locators, street network, and basemap that are included with the U.S. 2026 data outside of Business Analyst workflows violates the terms of use.

Authorization files are provided on My Esri to enable the StreetMap Premium items. To enable your StreetMap Premium authorization files, perform the following steps:

Note:

StreetMap Premium appears in your My Esri downloads list to enable the authorizations. You do not need to download these files—all required geocoding files are included in the U.S. 2026 data.

  1. On the My Esri site, click Licensing and click License Information.

  2. Click Authorizations.

  3. In the Quick Search text box, type StreetMap Premium or streetmap.

  4. Look for StreetMap Premium North America for Pro and click Expand Details.

    A list of authorization files appears.

  5. Apply the authorizations with the ArcGIS licensing process.

To perform geocoding operations locally, without connecting to an online geocoding service, you must add the locators provided with the Business Analyst dataset as part of the limited license for ArcGIS StreetMap Premium. See Set up locators for geocoding to learn more.

Data methodologies

Each dataset in Esri's data portfolio includes a methodology statement, which documents the provenance, vintage, and collection methods for the data.

For the U.S. 2026 dataset, the following methodologies are relevant:

Business Analyst documents

In addition to the methodologies above, the following ancillary document provides descriptions of Business Analyst variables and reports included in the U.S. 2026 dataset.