---
title: "Trade Area"
description: "The geographic area that contributes the most visitors to a target area."
slug: "/docs/concepts/metrics/trade-area-area"
last_updated: "2026-08-31"
location_type: "area"
question_type: "how"
cadences: ["Monthly"]
countries: ["NOR", "SWE", "FIN"]
---


# Trade Area

The geographic area that contributes the most visitors to a target area.

## Metadata

- Location type: [Area](/docs/concepts/location-types/area.md)
- Question type: how
- Cadences: Monthly
- Inputs: panel observations linked to home-area inferences

## Typical schema

| Column | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `location_id` | STRING | — |
| `origin_id` | STRING | Home-area identifier, in the origin area system. |
| `capture_rate` | FLOAT | Share of the area's visitors whose home is in this origin area. |


## Strengths

- Useful for retail and real-estate decisions at neighborhood scale.


## Limitations

- Origin-area granularity bounds how sharply the catchment resolves.