Q:

Making buffer zone based on size of attribute using ArcGIS for Desktop?

Buffer zone isn't really the correct word, sorry, but I am not sure how to explain it.
I want to make a circle around each attribute based of the size of the value, similar to a bubble map. However, I also need to select the overlaps to see which area has the largest overlap (does this make sense?)
I am using Vector data (I think) in the form of xlsx datafile (need to geo-code this first) and I do have access to a large amount of GIS programs (school computer)
How should I go about doing this? 

A:

Using ArcGIS, the Buffer (Analysis) tool contains a buffer_distance_or_field value, wherein you can input your distance attribute field to buffer.
The second part of your question is best asked as another question, but you would do an Intersect (Analysis) operation.

