Buffalo, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Buffalo, NY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 274,477 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5230.2 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.81% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.1 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 118,592 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Buffalo grew by 0.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 274,477 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Buffalo is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.2% of residents. That is 4.6 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 69,051 25.2% +4.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 62,000 22.6% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 49,651 18.1% -2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 38,704 14.1% -3.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New York, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.1% of the people living in Buffalo and men 47.9%.
- Women 52.1% New York 51.3%
- Men 47.9% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Buffalo
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Buffalo has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,107 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.26% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.3% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Buffalo is about 42% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $123,570 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,046 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 43.1% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Buffalo is about 9.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,046 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Buffalo spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.8 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,627 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.3% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,463 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,312 | 1,586 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Buffalo is 18 minutes, shorter than the 29 minutes in New York.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Buffalo has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.0% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Health
Buffalo has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Buffalo | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.5 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.9% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 17.4% | 19.0% |
Buffalo, NY Compared With Nearby Cities
How Buffalo, NY compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, NY | 274,477 | $50,107 #2/2 | $123,570 #1/2 | 17.9 min #1/2 |
| Tonawanda Town, NY | 56,806 | $77,786 | $18,967 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Buffalo, New York.
How many people live in Buffalo, New York?
About 274,477 people live in Buffalo, New York, in 118,592 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 33.1, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Buffalo, New York?
Averaged over its land area, Buffalo, New York has 5,230 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 61 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Buffalo, New York an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($123,570 against $50,107), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,046 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Buffalo, New York?
Unemployment in Buffalo, New York is 7.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →