Buffalo earns a D−, ranked 722nd of 745 in New York, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 2,016 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 92% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 206 places on the National Register. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Buffalo, above both New York’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Prudential Building and Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. Only 68 of New York’s 1,213 towns score lower on health.

StrongestA⁺History A⁺Walkability A⁻OutdoorsWeakestD⁻Safety DSchools C⁻Health C⁻Jobs & income

What makes Buffalo stand out

Where Buffalo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral

HistoryA⁺

Settled in 1810

A history going back 216 years.

Biggest of 7

College	Students
Erie Community College	6,380
SUNY Buffalo State University	6,170
Canisius University	2,310

Colleges in town

7 colleges

20,502 students on campus

Students are 9% of residents.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Buffalo7.3

New York3.7

U.S.3.3

Worth knowing · SafetyD⁻

2 times the violent crime than NY

FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.

St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral · National Register of Historic Places

Buffalo’s story

216 years in pictures

St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral is one of 8 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 206 National Register listings are more than in any other New York town with a listing.

Census counts: 1,508 in 1810, a peak of 580,132 in 1950, 278,349 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1849 and 3 maps from 1894 on.

1810Buffalo is settled

Explore the history →

How Buffalo grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Buffalo is from typical.

How grading works

WalkabilityEPA walkability 13.6 of 20; 22.6% of households have no car; 13.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA⁺Open →SafetyD⁻Open →SchoolsDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 78% of U.S. towns; Kaleida Health 2.6 miles awayC⁻Open →Jobs & income$50K median household income; 136,768 jobs based hereC⁻Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 61% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listCOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors8% conserved landA⁻Open →History28 notable people born hereA⁺Open →Civic life4.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC⁺Open →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

ClimateSnowy winters, 80° summer afternoons, 95″ of snow–Open →Housing market21 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.3–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Niagara Falls and 41 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Buffalo. Close and well known come first.

All 54 attractions →

Big draw17 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls

Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium

Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium

in town Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center

in town MuseumUSS The Sullivans

in town Stadium & arenaSahlen Field

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Niagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain · Sahlen Field: Quintinsoloviev, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Buffalo: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Buffalo, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterBuffalo Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet7 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpEast Side Transfer StationTown pickupTown site

SchoolsBuffalo City School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereErie County Board of ElectionsErie County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019

ZIP codes14215, 14213, 14207, 1421114215 13% · 14213 9% · 14207 9% · 14211 8%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Buffalo.

Buffalo gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding) and reports more crime than Cheektowaga and its other graded neighbors.

OutdoorsA⁻

7.9% of Buffalo is conserved land

49 miles of trail in 114 parks and preserves. The trail density in Buffalo is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Delaware Park, 338 acres with 6.4 miles of trail.

#142for trails in NY

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.9 miles per square mile	0.4	0.4
Conserved land	7.9%	5.2%	4.3%

7.9%

conserved · 2,631 of 33,370 acres

49 mi

of trails · 0.9 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Delaware Park	6.4 mi	338
2. Tifft Nature Preserve	5.7 mi	263
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park	4 mi	58

Full pageBuffalo’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map49 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk6.4 miles of trail · Delaware Park Conserved land7.9% conserved · 2,631 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Buffalo?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

SchoolsD

Buffalo earns a D for schools

Its public schools are run by the Buffalo City School District. Three of its 92 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

8%of NY districts it outscoresDSchool Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
International SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8	Grades PK–8	933	D⁻
Hutchinson Central Technical High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	1,140	B
Buffalo Academy of Science Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–12	Grades K–12	899	A⁺

Full pageBuffalo’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsBUFFALO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Vs. the neighborsBehind its 6 graded neighbors Every school92 schools · International School Questions“Are Buffalo’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation

SafetyD⁻

Buffalo stands out in New York and nationally, with violent crime higher than most

Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Cheektowaga (D) to West Seneca (C+). Property crime runs at 33.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New York rate, most of it theft.

Buffalo’s violent crime rate is 7.3 per 1,000 residents. Among 265 New York towns, just 10 have a higher property crime rate than Buffalo. Buffalo reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.

4%of U.S. towns report more crimeD⁻Safety Grade

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	7.3 per 1,000 residents	0.8	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	33.8 per 1,000 residents	7.5	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Buffalo7.3

New York3.7

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Buffalo33.8

New York15.7

U.S.15.5

4th

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

1st

percentile among NY towns

2,016

violent crimes reported in 2025

9,336

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageBuffalo’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type7.3 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsBehind its 4 graded neighbors Questions“Is Buffalo, NY safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

HousingCost of living grade B

Homes in Buffalo are worth about $244K, by Zillow’s estimate

The median property tax bill is $1,622, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

The typical Buffalo home is worth about $244,000, up 2.6% in a year, 53% below the New York typical home. 43% of households own their home in Buffalo.

$244KZillow home value

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	43%	75%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	52%	49%	48%
Median rent	$1,046 a month	$1,103 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Buffalo$244K

New York$525K

Market temperature

days on market

100.8%

sale-to-list price

+2.6%

value change, 1 year

129

homes sold in May

Full pageBuffalo’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 2.6% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.9 years of income Rents$1,046 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of all 6 graded neighbors

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

HealthC⁻

Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, more of Buffalo’s adults worry about having enough food

Against the 5,810 U.S. towns with household incomes like Buffalo’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.

28% of Buffalo adults worry about having enough food. Buffalo beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 44% of Buffalo adults sleep under 7 hours.

22%healthier than U.S. townsC⁻Health Grade

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	28%	13%	14%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)	44%	37%	36%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	32%	25%	25%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	24%	17%	19%

32 measures vs. New York

2 better10 too close to call20 worse

What stands out	Buffalo	NY
Fewer adults who have had cancer	5.8%	7.7%
Fewer adults with high cholesterol	34.1%	37.7%
More adults facing a utility shut-off	15.8%	8.2%

Kaleida Health

2.6 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

5th

percentile among NY towns

Full pageBuffalo’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby2.6 miles to an ER · Kaleida Health How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NY on 2 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Buffalo has snowy winters and pleasant summers

The Buffalo weather station, 7 miles away, records that 95 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.

Buffalo has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 19°.

95″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–35°

Spring36–54°

Summer60–78°

Fall44–60°

Oct 26

typical first frost

Apr 24

typical last frost

+1.7°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageBuffalo’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 80°, January lows 19°Rain & snow95″ of snow a winter · 39 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.7° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁻

Buffalo has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 97,160 people commute in

The average commute for its 94,052 working residents takes 19.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.

42% of Buffalo’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Amherst (13%), Cheektowaga (8%) and Tonawanda (5%).

42%work in town

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	42%	10%	8%
Median household income	$50,000	$82,000	$80,000
Average trip to work	20 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Buffalo42%

Amherst13%

Cheektowaga8%

Tonawanda5%

Lancaster3%

5 mi

median commute distance

136,768

jobs based in Buffalo

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

A+

Walkability grade: more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns

Full pageBuffalo’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here136,768 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work42% work in Buffalo Commute times20 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 5 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Who lives here

More young adults than New York overall

26% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14% across New York, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. The median household earns $50,041, against $85,974 across New York.

Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide). 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.

34.3median age · NY 39.8

	Buffalo	New York towns	U.S. towns
Median age	34.3 years	43 years	40.5 years
Aged 65 or older	14%	20%	18%
Under 18	22%	20%	22%

BuffaloNew YorkUnited States

NYU.S.

Ages · share of residents

18%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma13%

High school27%

Some college19%

Associate’s10%

Bachelor’s17%

Graduate14%

Women and men · all residents

52.3% women, 47.7% men

About 91 men for every 100 women. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.1, men 33.7.

Ages and education in Buffalo
	Buffalo	NY	U.S.
Under 10	12.6%	11%	11.6%
10 to 17	9.7%	9.5%	10.3%
18 to 24	10.9%	8.9%	9.1%
25 to 34	17.8%	14.2%	13.7%
35 to 44	12.7%	13%	13.2%
45 to 54	10.4%	12.2%	12.2%
55 to 64	11.6%	13.3%	12.7%
65 to 74	9.1%	10.3%	10.2%
75 and older	5%	7.6%	7%
No diploma	13%	12%	10.4%
High school	27%	24.3%	26%
Some college	19.2%	14.6%	19.1%
Associate’s	9.6%	8.8%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	17%	22.4%	21.6%
Graduate	14.2%	17.9%	14.1%

Full pageBuffalo by the numbersOpen the page

Ages34.3 median age · 14% are 65 or older Schooling31% have a four-year degree Homes43% own their home · Homeowners Income$50K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C

Buffalo faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $328 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.

Since 1978, 211 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Buffalo.

61risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold waves

211

paid flood claims since 1978

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageBuffalo’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims211 paid flood claims · Since 1978 Past disasters4 federal disasters · Paid out in Buffalo Get ready3.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Buffalo

20pages on Buffalo

The big questions

SchoolsDBehind 92% of NY districts · 92 schools SafetyD⁻7.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC⁻Better than NY on 2 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingB$244K typical home · up 2.6% in a year Work & commuteC⁻$50K median household income · 136,768 jobs here Natural hazardsCFEMA risk higher than 61% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻49 mi of trails · 8% conserved land PlacesAttractions54 nearby · KeyBank Center under 1 mi LibraryC⁺Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System CollegesTrocaire College, in town

The story

HistoryA⁺Settled 1810 · 206 on the National Register Famous people28 born in Buffalo Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 32 residents Climate80° summer highs · 95″ of snow

Day to day

News6 recent stories about Buffalo WeatherHandbookZIP code 14201, 14202, 14203 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

10 within 15 miles of the center of Buffalo

Erie Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · BuffaloIn town$6,100 in-state tuition SUNY Buffalo State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · BuffaloIn town$8,533 in-state tuition Trocaire CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · BuffaloIn town$20,640 tuition

About 9 of every 100 Buffalo residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

Erie Community College calls Buffalo home

7 colleges in town.

Erie Community College6,380 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $7,765
Graduate: 28%

SUNY Buffalo State University6,170 students on campus

Admission: 73%
Net price: $11,346
Graduate: 33%

Canisius University2,310 students on campus

Admission: 72%
Net price: $17,940
Graduate: 66%

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

206 places in Buffalo on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

St. Paul's Episcopal CathedralBuilt 1873 · National Historic Landmark

Prudential BuildingBuilt 1896 · National Historic Landmark

Buffalo and Erie County Historical SocietyBuilt 1901 · National Historic Landmark

USS THE SULLIVANS (destroyer)National Historic Landmark

Famous people from Buffalo

28 notable people were born in Buffalo.

See all 28 →

Herman HollerithAmerican statistician and inventor（1860-1929） · 1860–1929

John RobertsChief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 2005 · born 1955

Chad Michael MurrayAmerican actor · born 1981

Christine BaranskiAmerican actress · born 1952

Frances ClevelandFirst Lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897 · 1864–1947

David BoreanazAmerican actor · born 1969

About Buffalo

City in New York, United States

Official town website ↗

Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It lies in Western New York on the eastern shore of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River on the Canada–United States border. It is the second-most populous city in New York, with a population of 278,349 at the 2020 census. The Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, with over 1.16 million residents, is the 2nd-largest metropolitan area in New York State behind only the New York City metropolitan area, and the 51st-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Buffalo is the county seat of Erie County. Before the 17th century, the region was inhabited by nomadic Paleo-Indians who were succeeded by the Neutral, Erie, and Iroquois n…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1832
Area: 53 sq mi
Elevation: 600 ft
ZIP code: 14201, 14202, 14203
Area code: 716

Buffalo’s neighbors

8 towns share a border with Buffalo.

Explore the map →

All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Lackawanna (D) is closest. Amherst next door grades higher for schools (A− to Buffalo’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to B).

How the neighbors grade

Town	NY rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Buffalo	#722	D⁻	B	D⁻	D	C⁻
Cheektowaga	#631	C⁻	C⁺	D	D	B
Eggertsville	—	—	—	—	—	—
West Seneca	#358	B⁻	C	C⁺	B	A⁻
Amherst	#270	B⁺	D	C	A⁻	A
Lackawanna	#715	D	B⁻	C	D	C⁻
Tonawanda	#321	B	C⁺	—	C⁺	A⁻
Tonawanda Town	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonawanda reports no FBI crime data of its own. Eggertsville and Tonawanda Town aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Buffalo with a neighbor →

Questions about Buffalo

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Buffalo, NY a good place to live?

Buffalo grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #722 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Buffalo, NY expensive?

That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($72,237 across the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.

What is Buffalo, NY known for?

28 notable people were born here, including Herman Hollerith and John Roberts.

Post to Buffalo

Check your email

BuffaloNY

Is Buffalo a good place to live?

What makes Buffalo stand out

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

216 years in pictures

How Buffalo grades

Niagara Falls and 41 more within 40 miles

Moving to Buffalo: who provides what

The data

7.9% of Buffalo is conserved land

Buffalo earns a D for schools

Buffalo stands out in New York and nationally, with violent crime higher than most

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Homes in Buffalo are worth about $244K, by Zillow’s estimate

Typical home value

Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, more of Buffalo’s adults worry about having enough food

Buffalo has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Typical low → high °F

Buffalo has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 97,160 people commute in

Where working residents work

More young adults than New York overall

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

Buffalo faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Everything we know about Buffalo

Colleges nearby

Erie Community College calls Buffalo home

Landmarks

Famous people from Buffalo

About Buffalo

Buffalo’s neighbors

Questions about Buffalo