Household incomes put Buffalo Township near the very bottom of U.S. towns
45.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.6% across Missouri. Measured by household income, Buffalo Township is among the lowest-earning towns in the country. Buffalo Township grades D− for jobs and income and D for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Buffalo Township apart
A lot of Buffalo Township workers cross into Arkansas
29% of Buffalo Township workers work outside Missouri, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Paragould (23%), Leachville (2%) and Blytheville (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Buffalo Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 24 across Missouri. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Missouri worker. Time on the road ↓
Few Buffalo Township workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 13% across Missouri. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 370 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jobs & income in Buffalo Township: the grade in detail
On income, poverty and job access, Buffalo Township is near the bottom of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Buffalo Township’s grade.
Unemployment (0.6%) is left out: Buffalo Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Buffalo Township stays D−.
23% of working residents work in Paragould
Where Buffalo Township clocks in
23% of workers
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 17 minutes to work from Buffalo Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Buffalo Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 477 commuters (the 1% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How a workday changes Buffalo Township
On a workday 334 residents head out to work, 36 work right here, and 103 people come in from elsewhere.
About 770 people are in Buffalo Township on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
0.38 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in Buffalo Township: what the 139 are
139 jobs are based in Buffalo Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Buffalo Township, 2013 → 2023: 191 → 139. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Buffalo Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Buffalo Township
About 26% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Buffalo Township, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Buffalo Township is more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.2% across Missouri.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 482 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.9% of Buffalo Township households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Buffalo Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Buffalo Township sits among U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Loch Lloyd MO | 1,090 | $184K | 2.5% | 0.5% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Fremont Hills MO | 1,098 | $171K | 3.9% | 1.9% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Bel-Nor MO | 1,351 | $111K | 5.8% | 8.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,117 | Plains MT | 1,261 | $25K | 31.2% | 19.2% | 41% | D− |
| 3,118 | Oceana WV | 1,382 | $33K | 43.1% | 5.1% | 9% | D− |
| 3,119 | Buffalo Township MO | 1,002 | $25K | 45.1% | 0.6% | 10% | D− |
| 3,120 | Grandview Township OH | 1,376 | $33K | 43.6% | 12.9% | 6% | D− |
| 3,121 | Canyon Day AZ | 1,182 | $36K | 40.2% | 8.7% | 0% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Buffalo Township, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
Next door to Buffalo Township
The biggest share goes to Salem Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Buffalo Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Township | – | D− | D | 17 min | $24,537 |
| Salem Township | 2% | D− | C | 27 min | $40,352 |
| Arbyrd | 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Arbyrd: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Buffalo Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Buffalo Township: questions
What is the median household income in Buffalo Township?
$24,537 (±$20,744) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Buffalo Township?
45.1%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Buffalo Township?
17 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Buffalo Township work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Paragould (23%, 12 mi), Kennett (7%, 19 mi), Cardwell (6%, 0 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Buffalo Township walkable?
Buffalo Township is more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.4 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Buffalo Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Buffalo Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Buffalo Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.