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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Buffalo Metro

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · 2 counties · 1,166,902 residents · 1,565 sq mi
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The short version

Buffalo is a metro area of 1,166,902 people. The typical home is worth $155,397, having risen by half since 2000. 7% of residents were born outside the United States. Getting to work takes 22 minutes on average. Renters pay $827 a month at the median. The median household earns $59,061, about 11% below the national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.7
US median: 38.8
Average education
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,166,902
Unchangedsince 2000
from 1,170,111 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
746 / sq mi
Unchangedsince 2000
from 748 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
40.7
+7%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,565 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.1M1.1M1.2M1.2M1.2M19902000201020202024Buffalo
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.2%(60,775)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.5%(64,752)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(66,897)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.4%(74,899)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.8%(79,550)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413.4%(156,099)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.5%(133,918)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412%(139,626)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.6%(170,281)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.9%(126,937)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.4%(63,548)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.5%(29,620)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$59,061
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,486 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,451
+71%since 2000
from $20,143 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
39.6%
+11.2 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
13.5%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade10.9%
US avg: 10%
Other services8.3%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration6.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.7%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$155,397
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $86,828 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$827
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $509 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
63.5%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 66.2% in 2000
36.5% rent
Persons per household
2.27 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.34 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.6
+12%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.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic73%(851,927)
Black12.5%(146,080)
Hispanic / Latino5.8%(67,476)
Asian4.2%(48,529)
Other3.2%(37,704)
Segregation Score
55
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%(37,934)
Mexican0.6%(6,737)
Dominican0.3%(3,505)
South American0.3%(3,401)
Cuban0.2%(1,780)
Central American0.1%(1,528)
Colombian0.1%(1,426)
Spaniard0.1%(1,063)
Ecuadorian0.1%(875)
Peruvian0%(542)
Guatemalan0%(467)
Honduran0%(340)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0%(270)
Panamanian0%(242)
Venezuelan0%(140)
Chilean0%(130)
Argentine0%(125)
Nicaraguan0%(124)
Bolivian0%(84)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.9%(10,242)
Chinese0.7%(7,415)
Burmese0.3%(3,312)
Bangladeshi0.3%(2,631)
Korean0.2%(2,213)
Vietnamese0.2%(2,097)
Pakistani0.2%(1,780)
Nepalese0.1%(1,417)
Filipino0.1%(1,238)
Thai0.1%(944)
Japanese0.1%(620)
Laotian0%(474)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(256)
Chamorro0%(41)
Ancestry
German23.1%(260,984)
Irish16.1%(181,990)
Polish16%(180,611)
Italian15.8%(178,651)
English7.6%(86,493)
American3.4%(38,885)
French2.4%(27,445)
Scottish1.5%(17,399)
Dutch0.9%(10,358)
Hungarian0.8%(8,896)
Russian0.8%(8,809)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.8%(8,543)
French Canadian0.7%(8,016)
Ukrainian0.6%(7,175)
West Indian0.5%(5,714)
Welsh0.5%(5,594)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(5,149)
Lebanese0.5%(5,082)
Greek0.4%(4,777)
Canadian0.4%(4,213)
British0.3%(3,858)
Norwegian0.3%(3,435)
Jamaican0.3%(3,417)
Austrian0.3%(3,066)
Arab0.2%(2,704)
Croatian0.2%(2,380)
Iraqi0.2%(2,161)
Lithuanian0.2%(1,897)
Danish0.2%(1,820)
Czech0.2%(1,793)
Swiss0.2%(1,731)
Slovak0.1%(1,617)
Turkish0.1%(1,327)
Syrian0.1%(1,311)
Serbian0.1%(1,268)
Portuguese0.1%(1,199)
Somali0.1%(1,005)
Finnish0.1%(952)
Romanian0.1%(943)
Ethiopian0.1%(795)
Nigerian0.1%(750)
Armenian0.1%(742)
Haitian0.1%(667)
Moroccan0.1%(572)
Egyptian0%(522)
Belgian0%(522)
Macedonian0.1%(509)
Iranian0%(489)
Bulgarian0%(437)
Guyanese0%(348)
Latvian0%(344)
Slovene0%(309)
Ghanaian0%(296)
Kenyan0%(292)
Israeli0%(246)
Brazilian0%(241)
Australian0%(204)
Jordanian0%(180)
Barbadian0%(65)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
33.4%
+10.2 ptssince 2000
from 23.2% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
92.0%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
14.6%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 9.5% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.6 min
+67%since 2000
from 13.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
80.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
12.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−3.1 ptssince 2011
from 8.0% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
62.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2011
from 63.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
40.3%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
Female
51.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.8% in 2009
Foreign born
6.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.1%
−3.9 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
89.5%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
88.4%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
3.1%
−3.9 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
60.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
20.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
23.6%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
71.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
40.7%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.1%(9,067)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)15.1%(9,705)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.9%(24,405)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War10.1%(6,484)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.8%(3,098)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 64,439 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$72,464+23%
Home value$241,872+56%
Population1,197,766+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Fresno
Income$74,533+26%
Home value$389,401+151%
Population1,203,383+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Tucson
Income$70,315+19%
Home value$319,700+106%
Population1,074,685−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUFFALO VS
Tulsa
Income$69,648+18%
Home value$220,806+42%
Population1,069,273−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY has about 1,166,902 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY earns about $59,061 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 $155,397, and the typical rent is about $827 a month.

How educated are people in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

About 33.4% 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 13.5% 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 22,386 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 →