How Much Is Your Data Worth? A Category-by-Category DataCash Score Breakdown

Direct answer: Basic demographic data (age, gender, ZIP code) is worth roughly $0.0005–$0.01 per record; browsing/ad-tracking data $0.50–$2 per profile per year; social data $2–$10; location history $5–$30; financial data $10–$50; and health data $20–$200, because health and financial records are the hardest to source and the most predictive of future spending or risk.

Not all personal data is created equal. Buyers pay based on two things: how hard the data is to get, and how well it predicts future behavior. That's why a person's home ZIP code is nearly worthless on its own, while their prescription history or recent large purchases are worth a great deal more to the right buyer.

Demographic data: the commodity tier

Age, gender, and general location are collected by almost every app and website, which means supply is enormous and price per record is tiny — often measured in fractions of a cent. It only becomes valuable in bulk or combined with other categories.

Browsing and ad-interaction data

Your click history, search queries, and ad-interaction data feed real-time bidding on ad exchanges. Individually cheap, but this is the category that funds the "free" internet — it's the recurring revenue stream behind nearly every social platform's ARPU.

Location history

Precise, timestamped location trails are valuable to retail analytics firms, hedge funds tracking foot traffic at public companies, and political targeting operations. A detailed 12-month location history is one of the more re-identifiable and sought-after data types once anonymization is stripped away.

Financial and health data: the premium tier

Financial account activity and health conditions are the two categories most tightly regulated (and most valuable on the black market when breached) because they predict both spending capacity and future need with high confidence. This is also why several 2026 state privacy laws single out health and financial data for extra protection.

Run the free DataCash Score calculator to see where your own mix of activity lands across these six tiers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is health data worth more than browsing data?

Health data is scarcer, more regulated, and more predictive of future spending (on treatment, insurance, supplements) than routine browsing behavior, which nearly every ad platform already has in bulk.

Can I stop companies from collecting the most valuable categories?

Yes — health and financial data usually require explicit consent under most 2026 state privacy laws, so reviewing app permissions and opting out of data-sharing settings meaningfully reduces exposure in these categories.

Does location data get more valuable over time?

A longer location history is more valuable because it reveals patterns (commute, workplace, routine) rather than a single point, which is why continuous tracking is worth more than a one-time location check.