Data-driven financial tools and analysis
Free calculators and comparison tools for real estate investing, mortgages, taxes, and insurance — built on real market data, not estimates.
NumbersLab builds free financial tools that use institutional-grade data sources — the same data that banks, REITs, and economists rely on — and makes it accessible to everyone. We believe financial decisions should be based on real numbers, not guesswork. Whether you're analyzing a rental property, comparing mortgage options, estimating your tax liability, or shopping for insurance, you deserve accurate data and transparent methodology without paying $50–$200/month for a subscription.
Every tool we build follows three principles: use real data from authoritative sources (Zillow ZHVI/ZORI for home values and rents, IRS tax brackets for income tax, NAIC rate filings for insurance costs, Census Bureau for demographics), run the actual math with conservative assumptions (not simplified estimates that inflate returns), and make it free for everyone with no signup walls, no paywalls, and no lead-gen tricks.
Across our four sites, we track data for 775+ metro areas across 51 states, serve hundreds of thousands of users, and provide the tools people need to make smarter financial decisions. We also publish The Numbers Letter, a free weekly newsletter with market analysis and investment insights, and share educational content on our YouTube channel.
CapRateCity is built and edited by Jake McEwen, founder of NumbersLab. Jake is the single writer, researcher, and developer behind every calculator, data table, and article on this site — there is no anonymous editorial team, no AI-generated guides, and no offshore content farm. If a page on CapRateCity contains an error, it's Jake's responsibility and his email above is the right channel to report it.
Jake started CapRateCity because most rental-property analysis tools available to retail investors fell into one of two categories: free tools with simplified math that produced misleadingly high cap rates by ignoring vacancy, taxes, insurance, and capex, or institutional-grade tools (CoStar, Yardi, etc.) that cost $200–$2,000/month and were out of reach for individual investors. The thesis: build something that uses the same underlying data sources institutional investors use (Zillow ZHVI/ZORI, Census ACS, county tax records), run the actual cap-rate and cash-on-cash math the way underwriters do, and give it away free.
Connect with Jake on LinkedIn or email jake@capratecity.com. NumbersLab also operates MortgageMathLab, TakeHomeTax, and InsuranceCostCity.
CapRateCity is an educational resource. Jake is not a licensed real estate agent, broker, financial advisor, or tax professional, and nothing on this site is advice. See our disclaimer for the full statement.
Every article on CapRateCity is written by Jake McEwen, manually researched, and reviewed before publishing. The editorial process is unusually transparent because the site is run by one person:
Market data underlying the 775 city pages is refreshed periodically — typically when Zillow publishes a new ZHVI/ZORI release or when county tax rates change. The "Updated" date on each ranking, city, and state page reflects the last time the underlying dataset was re-ingested. Editorial content (blog posts, guides) is updated when the regulatory landscape changes — new IRS rules, new loan program limits, changing FHFA conventional conforming caps, etc.
We never silently change historical content. Material updates to a previously-published article result in a new "Updated" date and, where the substance changes, a corrections note. Full methodology in Data Methodology.
Coverage continues to expand. New rankings, expanded city editorial, and updated calculators ship roughly weekly. The most reliable way to keep up is to subscribe to The Numbers Letter (below).
NumbersLab maintains a portfolio of free financial tools, each focused on a specific domain. Together, they cover the full spectrum of financial decisions that homeowners, renters, and real estate investors face:
We also build a free Chrome extension that shows cap rate, cash flow, and investment returns on every Zillow and Redfin listing — right on the page. No copy-pasting into spreadsheets.
Accuracy is everything. Bad data leads to bad decisions. Here's what powers our tools:
Our free weekly newsletter for investors and anyone interested in financial data. Each week: market analysis, highest cap rate cities, emerging investment opportunities, deal breakdowns with real numbers, and tools updates. No spam, no fluff — just data.
Subscribe to The Numbers Letter →Market analysis, calculator walkthroughs, and data-driven financial content on our YouTube channel.
Questions, feedback, data corrections, or partnership inquiries — we'd love to hear from you.
CapRateCity provides market-level estimates for educational use only. We are not licensed real estate agents, brokers, financial advisors, or tax professionals. Always consult qualified professionals before making financial decisions. Past performance and historical data do not guarantee future results.
For details, see our disclaimer, data methodology, editorial policy, affiliate disclosure, and corrections policy.