Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 33,198, settled in 1808.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clarence grades A overall, ranked 116th of 745 in New York. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of New York towns and the median household earns $125K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $408K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. 55% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Clarence, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. Clarence has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Automobile Club of Buffalo.
Where Clarence beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Clarence | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Hill Elementary School | K–5 | 527 |
| Ledgeview Elementary School | K–5 | 486 |
| Harris Hill Elementary School | K–5 | 452 |
Census counts: 3,278 in 1820, a low of 2,271 in 1840, 32,950 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1905 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Clarence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clarence. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
22 mi WaterfallHorseshoe Falls
16 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
16 mi MuseumUSS The SullivansNiagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Horseshoe Falls: Ujjwal Kumar, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clarence, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Clarence.
Clarence gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, has less food insecurity than most of New York and has better schools than Amherst or any other neighbor.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 6.9% of its 12,195 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
84% of Clarence adults had a checkup this year. Clarence beats the New York average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 3.5% of Clarence adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Clarence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Clarence | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.5% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; Amherst (A−) is next. Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $409K.
Its public schools are run by the Clarence Central School District. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarence Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 954 | B |
| Clarence Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,256 | A |
| Sheridan Hill Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 527 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
16 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area, 237 acres with 4.9 miles of trail.
| Clarence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area | 4.9 mi | 237 |
| 2. Beeman Creek County Park | 1.4 mi | 147 |
| 3. Thompson Road Park | 1.3 mi | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clarence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
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.
Clarence has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Clarence is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 15,187 working residents takes 23 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Clarence for work: only 13% work in town. 20% of workers work from home in Clarence. The top destinations are Amherst (23%), Buffalo (19%) and Cheektowaga (7%).
| Clarence | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Clarence
About 4 of every 100 Clarence residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
2 places in Clarence on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Clarence.
Town in New York, United States
Clarence (Seneca: Tanönogeo’) is a rapidly growing town and affluent outer ring suburb of Buffalo. Clarence is one of the wealthiest towns in upstate New York State and the wealthiest suburb of Buffalo. Clarence is home to various exclusive gated, and private communities, some of the most expensive multi-million dollar residential compounds in the Buffalo-Niagara Metro. Clarence is home to many Buffalo Sabres players and coaches, although most Buffalo Bills players live in the southern suburbs due to proximity to Highmark Stadium. Clarence is located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States, northeast of Buffalo. The population was 32,950 according to the 2020 census…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Clarence.
Royalton next door grades lower for schools (B to Clarence’s A) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C−).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarence | #116 | A | C− | — | A | A |
| Royalton | #185 | A− | B+ | — | B | B |
| Lockport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rapids | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newstead | #216 | B+ | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Harris Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Amherst | #270 | B+ | D | C | A− | A |
| Lancaster | #89 | A | C | B+ | A− | A |
Clarence, Royalton and Newstead report no FBI crime data of their own. Lockport, Rapids and Harris Hill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clarence with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clarence grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #116 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $409,000, 22% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Dewitt C. Leach and Alfred F. Beiter.
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