Comprehensive dataset and Python toolkit for housing market analysis in Mercer County, NJ

This project combines data extraction, predictive modeling, and geospatial mapping to analyze housing trends in Mercer County, New Jersey. It consists of three core components: Census Data Extraction: Gathers U.S. Census data (2012–2022) on median house value, household income, and racial demographics for all census tracts in the county. It accounts for changes in census tract boundaries between 2010 and 2020 by approximating values for newly defined tracts. House Value Prediction: Uses an LSTM model with k-fold cross-validation to forecast median house values through 2025. Multiple feature combinations and sequence lengths are tested to optimize prediction accuracy, with the final model selected based on MSE and MAE scores. Data Mapping: Visualizes historical and predicted housing data using GeoJSON files from the TIGERWeb API. It generates interactive maps showing raw values, changes over time, and percent differences, with customization options to handle outliers and improve interpretability. This modular workflow can be adapted to other regions by changing the input FIPS codes and feature selections.