How does Google calculate local searches?

[TRICORSystems]

I'm wondering how Google calculates local search volume in the keywords tool without specifying a city or a region.

Is it just an average of the different regions or states?

[stubby]

Local = the volume within the whole region.

So, Local is not really "local" as you might think of it.

As you seem to be in the US, if you set the Local region to the US, that is the number you get back in that column.