Erie County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Erie County, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 79% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 948,176 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 772.8 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.37% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.7 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 408,601 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Erie County grew by 3.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 948,176 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Erie County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.8% of residents. That is about the same share as New York.
- Gen Z 13–28 192,226 20.3% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 195,608 20.6% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 197,373 20.8% on par
- Boomers 61–79 177,677 18.7% +1.4 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 51.6% of the people living in Erie County and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% New York 51.3%
- Men 48.4% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Erie County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Erie County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,896 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.04% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Erie County is about 16% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $170,710 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,089 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.9% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Erie County is about 13.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,089 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Erie County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.1 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.1 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 167 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,180 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.0% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,159 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,827 | 1,586 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New York:
Hamilton County (13.6 min), Chautauqua County (15.4 min), Franklin County (16.4 min).
Slowest:
Bronx County (43.2 min), Queens County (41.8 min), Kings County (41.6 min).
The average commute time in Erie County is 20 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
Erie County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.3% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.25 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New York:
New York County (0.5), Tompkins County (0.4), Westchester County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.2), Orleans County (0.2), Hamilton County (0.2).
Health
Erie County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Erie County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.6% | 17.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New York:
Tompkins County (0.8), Nassau County (0.8), New York County (0.8).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.8), Montgomery County (0.8), Cattaraugus County (0.8).
Erie County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Erie County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 948,176 residents against a local median of 76,141. Erie County, NY's median home price, at $170,710, runs 43% above the $119,155 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $496,187 on median home price, so Erie County, NY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Erie County, NY has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County, NY | 948,176 | $72,896 #2/6 | $170,710 #2/6 | 20.1 min #4/6 |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 76,141 | $59,550 | $101,562 | 17.5 min |
| Wyoming County, NY | 39,775 | $69,185 | $571,081 | 21.2 min |
| Niagara County, NY | 210,721 | $69,767 | $119,155 | 21.0 min |
| Genesee County, NY | 57,790 | $73,153 | $74,894 | 20.0 min |
| Chautauqua County, NY | 125,543 | $58,401 | $122,905 | 15.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Erie County, New York.
What is the population of Erie County, New York?
About 948,176 people live in Erie County, New York, in 408,601 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Erie County, New York?
Averaged over its land area, Erie County, New York has 773 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 8.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Erie County, New York?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($170,710 against $72,896), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,089 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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