With 276,854 people, Buffalo is a city in New York. 43% of homes are owner-occupied. That trails the New York median by roughly 42%. The poverty rate is 26.0%, above the 12.5% national rate. Density works out to 6,856 people per square mile. This skews young, with a median age of 34.3.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $50,041, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.3
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 53%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Buffalo
What changed most since 1990
Population328,123 → 276,854(−16%)US over the same years: +35%
Median age32.1 → 34.3(+2.2 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Buffalo's population equals 29% of Erie County's. Its number of households without a car equals 57% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 55% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.2%(2,157)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24%(2,558)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.6%(2,947)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.8%(401)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(76)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 10,673 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Buffalo, decade by decade
Buffalo population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
328,123
$44,358
$111,843
16.0%
63.2
2000
292,648
$44,696
$107,113
18.3%
74.0
2010
261,310
$43,219
$94,514
21.7%
79.7
2020
278,349
$48,090
$122,416
28.6%
87.1
2024
276,854
$50,041
$164,200
31.2%
87.1
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
