Yelp is way more than a great site to find a good bite to eat; turns out, Yelp has a crazy number of reviews on everything from cigar lounges to cemeteries and even the King of Cool. While we already know people are reviewing all kinds of businesses on Yelp, we recently wondered: who exactly is reviewing what? To answer that question, we looked at every business category on Yelp, and summarized what percent of reviews in each category were written by people in each 5 year age range. For example, did you know that 38% of dance club reviews were written by people between 25 and 29? Now you do!
Digging through that data, we unearthed some charts – and a little story – about what people are up to at all stages of life for a few special categories:
Let’s start from the top.
1 – Dance Clubs. Bouncer not asking for your ID? You’re in the minority it seems. Dance clubs are the category with the narrowest age range on Yelp, being reviewed almost entirely by Yelpers in their early- to mid-20s. But hey, it’s never too late to be on the prowl; a full 3% of dance club reviews come from people pushing 45.
2 – Wedding Planners. Who knew a few nights at the club could so quickly be followed by a stroll down the aisle? Wedding planners across the world are getting calls and reviews from smitten Yelpers in their mid 20s to late 30s who’re embarking on a journey of eternal love.
3 – Baby Gear and Furniture: You know what they say: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage! Yelpers proved once and for all that the sequence of events forecasted derisively on playgrounds holds true with stunning precision. Our findings show that vendors of those literal carriages (and booties, bibs, diapers…) are frequented most often by people in their upper 20s to early 40s. To the new moms and dads, congrats! And to our newly-born yelpers, we can’t wait to read your dance club reviews in a quick quarter century.
4 – Divorce Lawyers. Cue the sad trombone. And lawyer bills. Searches and reviews for divorce lawyers on Yelp are the heaviest in the range of 30s all the way up to mid-50s. Just remember, evaluating your ongoing commitment is important, but evaluating your divorce lawyer on Yelp is mandatory.
And hey, speaking of changes-of-heart, here’s an interesting one:
Remember that one true love “4ever” you had when you were 22? Well, so does your unamused new love, thanks to that “I Love Denise” tat on your forearm. Don’t worry, friend, looks like you weren’t the only one; while a wave of Yelpers flock to get inked at in their early- to mid-20s, another flock of Yelpers just a decade older write regretfully about their experience getting it off.
This sampling of yelping by age goes to show that local businesses are a key ingredient in life's many delights and an indispensable remedy to life's occasional misstep. Have opinions on spots in your city that you feel must be known? Write your own story. With your local community of Yelp reviewers, you're in good company.
