Property Data Pulse 2025: How Economic Developers Are Using Property Data to Compete and Win

The Property Data Pulse, the first-ever national survey of economic development professionals, conducted by GIS WebTech, reveals how organizations across North America are leveraging property data to attract investment, streamline site selection, and drive community growth. With responses from over 100 economic development organizations (EDOs), the findings paint a clear picture: property data is now mission-critical for competitiveness in site selection and business recruitment.

Property Data Is Nearly Universal

An overwhelming 96% of EDOs either offer property listings on their websites or plan to soon, underscoring that data transparency has become an industry standard. Regardless of organization size or type, EDOs are prioritizing property data as a foundational part of their digital strategies.

The few who don't yet publish listings mostly cite resource limitations, particularly among smaller organizations with fewer than four employees.

Industrial Sites Dominate and Sites Drive Engagement

Both the survey and GIS WebTech's analysis of over 500,000 property interactions show that industrial and distribution sites remain the hottest commodities for site selectors. These data revealed that while sites make up just 27% of listings, they generate more than 60% of all clicks, making them twice as likely to be engaged with as buildings.

3D Staging and Featured Listings Supercharge Engagement

Technology is redefining how EDOs present properties. A remarkable 81% of EDOs are staging properties with 3D renderings, virtual buildings, and other digital assets, or plan to soon. Those that do are seeing dramatic results: properties staged with 3D visuals are 20 times more likely to be clicked and 10 times more likely to be shared.

Similarly, "featured" properties, which comprise just 1.4% of all listings, drive over 26% of all engagement, proving that a small number of spotlighted listings can significantly amplify visibility.

Data Integration Is Now a Must-Have

Beyond showcasing buildings and sites, developers are emphasizing contextual data-such as workforce, demographics, infrastructure, and incentives. Nearly 80% of respondents said integrating these data directly with property listings is either "important" or "mission-critical".

This integration helps site selectors make faster, better-informed decisions-aligning with the accelerating pace of modern site selection.

Analytics Adoption on the Rise

Only a quarter of EDOs currently track property engagement through analytics tools, but another 59% plan to, signaling a major shift toward data-driven decision-making. EDOs using analytics are far more likely to stage and promote properties strategically.

Key Takeaway: Data-Driven, Tech-Forward EDOs Are Winning Attention

The Property Data Pulse findings highlight a digital divide emerging in the field of economic development: organizations that embrace data integration, analytics, and visualization are capturing significantly higher engagement and interest from site selectors.

As site selection timelines continue to compress, speed, interactivity, and real-time data are becoming decisive advantages.

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Access the Executive Summary

To explore the highlights from the 2025 survey, download the Executive Summary, and learn how to participate in next year's survey please visit Property Data Pulse

The full report is available exclusively to survey participants, another great reason to register to take part in next year's Property Data Pulse survey.

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About the Property Data Pulse

The Property Data Pulse 2025 is the first annual survey of property data usage in economic development, conducted by GIS WebTech. The report also includes "Bonus Insights" from an analysis of more than half a million user interactions with economic development websites.

To learn more about GIS WebTech's suite of tools, including GURU Site Selection and GURU Ecosystem, please Request a Demo or reach out to Ron Bertasi.