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METRO AREA

Buffalo Metro

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · 2 counties · 1,155,653 residents (2025 est.) · 1,565 sq mi
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The short version

With 1,161,343 people, Buffalo is a metro area. That puts it in the top 8% of US metro areas for household income. The typical home is worth $225,816, having more than doubled since 2000. The foreign-born share is 7%. Median rent is $1,055 a month. There are 742 people per square mile.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
36% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 43%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,161,343
−1%since 2000
from 1,170,111 in 2000
1,155,653 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
742 / sq mi
−1%since 2000
from 748 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
40.9
+8%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,565 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.1M1.1M1.2M1.2M1.2M19902000201020202024Buffalo
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.2%(60,028)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(68,134)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.5%(63,972)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(70,538)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(72,239)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.5%(156,902)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.5%(144,790)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.5%(133,718)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(163,984)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.6%(134,502)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.6%(64,757)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(27,779)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$72,257
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,486 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,074
+109%since 2000
from $20,143 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
48.2%
+19.8 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.8%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.460
+2%since 2010
from 0.452 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade11%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services8.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$225,816
+43%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $86,828 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,055
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $509 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 66.2% in 2000
33.2% rent
Vacancy rate
7.4%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.26 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.34 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.0%
−6.8 ptssince 2009
from 24.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.9%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.1
+33%since 2009
from 2.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
75
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic82.5%(965,233)
Black11.5%(134,645)
Hispanic / Latino2.9%(33,967)
Asian1.3%(15,007)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic74.1%(860,202)
Black11.1%(128,476)
Hispanic / Latino6%(69,377)
Asian4.2%(48,904)
Other4.7%(54,384)
Diversity Score
54
+34%since 2009
from 40 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
51
−6%since 2020
from 55 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican3.4%(39,226)
Mexican0.8%(9,191)
Dominican0.4%(5,166)
South American0.4%(4,333)
Central American0.3%(3,245)
Cuban0.2%(2,035)
Spaniard0.1%(1,480)
Colombian0.1%(1,467)
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,192)
Salvadoran0.1%(1,176)
Peruvian0.1%(813)
Guatemalan0.1%(751)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0%(412)
Honduran0%(334)
Argentine0%(293)
Venezuelan0%(255)
Paraguayan0%(118)
Chilean0%(93)
Bolivian0%(45)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.1%(12,675)
Bangladeshi0.8%(9,846)
Chinese0.6%(7,345)
Burmese0.4%(4,451)
Vietnamese0.2%(2,219)
Korean0.2%(2,168)
Pakistani0.2%(1,810)
Filipino0.1%(1,232)
Nepalese0.1%(1,080)
Kazakh0.1%(816)
Sri Lankan0.1%(606)
Japanese0%(532)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Bhutanese0.1%(510)
Taiwanese0%(336)
Laotian0%(232)
Thai0%(226)
Malaysian0%(96)
Mongolian0%(44)
Uzbek0%(38)
Cambodian0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(108)
Chamorro0%(36)
Fijian0%(4)
Ancestry
German21.2%(246,095)
Irish15.5%(180,324)
Italian14.7%(170,749)
Polish13.7%(158,750)
English8%(93,409)
American3.1%(35,872)
French1.8%(20,948)
Scottish1.5%(17,801)
Arab1.4%(15,715)
Subsaharan African1.1%(12,286)
Dutch0.8%(8,893)
Hungarian0.7%(7,856)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.6%(7,392)
Ukrainian0.6%(7,334)
Swedish0.6%(7,159)
French Canadian0.6%(7,134)
West Indian0.5%(6,240)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(4,995)
Lebanese0.4%(4,958)
Welsh0.4%(4,682)
Greek0.4%(4,172)
Norwegian0.4%(4,095)
Jamaican0.3%(3,680)
Canadian0.3%(3,433)
British0.2%(2,694)
Croatian0.2%(2,523)
Austrian0.2%(2,289)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,095)
Czech0.2%(1,798)
Slovak0.1%(1,573)
Danish0.1%(1,529)
Swiss0.1%(1,417)
Turkish0.1%(1,278)
Syrian0.1%(1,176)
Nigerian0.1%(1,126)
Romanian0.1%(1,112)
Iraqi0.1%(969)
Palestinian0.1%(923)
Serbian0.1%(907)
Portuguese0.1%(831)
Egyptian0.1%(753)
Somali0.1%(740)
Armenian0.1%(699)
Belgian0.1%(653)
Ethiopian0.1%(624)
Macedonian0.1%(613)
Finnish0.1%(610)
Moroccan0.1%(588)
Brazilian0.1%(580)
Latvian0%(552)
Iranian0%(523)
Haitian0%(514)
Bulgarian0%(402)
Ghanaian0%(397)
Guyanese0%(372)
Jordanian0%(248)
Israeli0%(218)
Slovene0%(199)
Kenyan0%(155)
Barbadian0%(78)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
36.2%
+13.0 ptssince 2000
from 23.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.4%
+9.5 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.1%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 9.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.5 min
+66%since 2000
from 13.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
73.2%
−8.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
12.5%
+9.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
11.2%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.1%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 8.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2011
from 63.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 75.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 14.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
43.4%
+8.4 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
Female
51.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.8% in 2009
Foreign born
6.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.0%
−4.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.1%
+1.3 ptssince 2012
from 12.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.9%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.1%
+14.7 ptssince 2017
from 75.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.0%
+4.5 ptssince 2020
from 89.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 88.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
89.7%
−1.3 ptssince 2016
from 91.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 2.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.8%(186,257)
Married47.6%(222,965)
Widowed3.1%(14,547)
Divorced9.5%(44,419)
Women 15+
Never married34.8%(174,368)
Married44%(220,404)
Widowed9.2%(46,288)
Divorced12%(59,961)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
2.9%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.2%
−2.7 ptssince 2020
from 60.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 13.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 20.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 23.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.0%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 71.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.6%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 40.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)18.4%(10,267)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.7%(10,457)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.4%(19,769)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.5%(3,071)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.6%(922)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 55,900 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
In this metro

Largest cities

BuffaloCENTRAL274,613CheektowagaCENTRAL76,056Tonawanda56,806Niagara Falls47,255West Seneca45,303North Tonawanda29,806Lockport20,248Lackawanna19,452Eggertsville14,894Tonawanda14,848Kenmore14,808Depew14,801Lancaster9,995Hamburg9,840South Lockport9,144University at Buffalo7,020Harris Hill6,069East Aurora5,949Williamsville5,478Grandyle4,912Springville4,194Newfane3,938Sloan3,699Highland-on-the-Lake3,584Lake Erie Beach3,279Eden3,113Orchard Park3,079Akron2,867Elma Center2,814Alden2,755

The 30 most populous of 53 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

2 component counties

Erie CountyCENTRAL946,741Niagara CountyCENTRAL208,912
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Buffalo

Birmingham
Pop 1,197,766
Fresno
Pop 1,203,383
Tucson
Pop 1,074,685
Tulsa
Pop 1,069,273
Places similar to Buffalo
Head to head

Compare Buffalo side by side

BUFFALO VS
Birmingham
Income$72,464same
Home value$241,872+7%
Population1,197,766+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Fresno
Income$74,533+3%
Home value$389,401+72%
Population1,203,383+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Tucson
Income$70,315−3%
Home value$319,700+42%
Population1,074,685−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Tulsa
Income$69,648−4%
Home value$220,806−2%
Population1,069,273−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY has about 1,161,343 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

The typical household in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY earns about $72,257 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY expensive?

In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, the median home is worth about $225,816, and the typical rent is about $1,055 a month.

How educated are people in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

About 36.2% of adults age 25 and over in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

About 13.8% of people in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY live below the federal poverty line.

Has Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY grown since 1990?

Yes, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 27,945 residents, a change of about -2 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →