THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
Stage: Trial / Onboarding / Live
Owner: CS
Last updated: 2026-01-20
TL;DR
People City filters by where an individual says they live, not where the company is based.
This filter is extremely niche and should almost always be avoided for B2B.
Using it incorrectly can drastically shrink your TAM and remove high-quality leads.
Only use People City when the person must physically live in a specific city.
When you’d use this / Why it matters
In modern B2B, people work remotely, relocate often, and live far from their company’s headquarters.
Filtering by a person’s city usually introduces inaccuracy and unnecessary exclusions, which is why People City is almost never the right choice.
Why you should almost never use the People City filter
1. People move, companies don’t
In remote-first environments, people often:
Live in a different city than their employer
Work internationally
Travel or relocate frequently
👉 People City ≠ Company City
2. Many profiles don’t list a usable city
Personal profiles often include:
No city at all
Only a country
Vague regions (e.g., “West Coast”)
“Remote,” “Worldwide,” or joke locations
Using People City automatically excludes:
Remote workers
Profiles with missing or vague data
High-quality leads who simply didn’t update their location
3. Where someone lives rarely defines your ICP
Examples:
Marketing manager lives in Austin, company HQ is New York
CTO lives in Lisbon, company is U.S.-based
Founder lives in Miami, HQ is in Delaware
For B2B relevance, company location matters, personal city does not.
People City vs Company City, what’s the difference?
Company City
Targets where the business is headquartered.
This matters for:
Local or physical B2B services
Regulatory or legal constraints
Regional pricing
Geographic ICP requirements
People City
Targets where the individual personally lives, which is:
Often irrelevant
Frequently missing
Often outdated
Commonly different from company HQ
👉 For 99% of B2B use cases, People City should not be used.
The ONLY time you should use People City
Use People City only when your service requires the individual themselves to live in a specific city.
This means:
You do not care where the company is headquartered
You only care where the person physically lives
Valid use cases
Local fitness, wellness, or coaching services
Real estate services targeting city residents
Lawyers serving residents of a specific city
In-person events, workshops, or training
Services requiring physical presence
Hyper-local consumer or professional services
If the person must live in that city → People City is appropriate.
When you should NOT use People City
Do not use People City if you sell:
Marketing services
Lead generation
SaaS
Consulting
Automation or operations tools
Recruiting
B2B technology
Any remote or digital service
In these cases:
Use Company → City if you must target a city
Or skip city filters entirely
Important limitation: city name variations
Personal city data appears in many formats:
Los Angeles
LA
Los Angeles, CA
Greater Los Angeles Area
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
LA County
If you must use People City:
Include all realistic variations
Still expect missing data and reduced coverage
Example scenarios
Scenario 1: Real estate agent in Dubai
Clients must live in Dubai.
→ Use People City = Dubai
Scenario 2: Local fitness coach in Toronto
Clients must live in Toronto.
→ Use People City = Toronto
Scenario 3: Marketing agency targeting Los Angeles companies
You care where the company is based.
→ Use Company City = Los Angeles
→ ❌ Do not use People City
Scenario 4: B2B SaaS targeting U.S. companies
Personal city is irrelevant.
→ Use Company Country = USA
→ Ignore People City entirely
Expected outcome
Using Company City: accurate, scalable B2B lists
Using People City (only when required): individuals who actually meet local residency needs
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Q: Why did my list shrink dramatically?
You likely filtered by People City and excluded profiles with missing or remote location data.
Q: Can I combine People City with Company City?
You can, but it’s almost never recommended.
Q: Is People City ever better than Company City?
Only when personal residency is required.
Q: Should I test People City “just to see”?
No. It usually creates misleading results and unnecessary exclusions.
Callouts
If ListKit runs campaigns for you (Managed Program)
What ListKit handles:
Avoiding People City unless residency is mandatory
Defaulting to Company City for B2B targeting
What you should do:
Clearly confirm if your offer requires people to live in a specific city
How to request changes:
Inform your account manager if People City is truly required
If you use ListKit self-serve (DIY)
Steps in the product:
Ignore People City for standard B2B searches
Use Company City only when location truly matters
Skip city filters entirely for remote offers
Final takeaway
The People City filter is extremely niche.
Use it only when:
The individual must personally live in a specific city
Physical presence is required
For all normal B2B targeting:
❌ Ignore People City
✅ Use Company City instead
❌ Don’t restrict your TAM unnecessarily
This keeps your searches accurate, scalable, and aligned with your real ICP.