Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Seneca grades B− overall, 358th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 80% of the country. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $80K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $233K, 3.2 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. West Seneca’s level of property crime is 17.7 per 1,000 residents, against 7.5 in New York’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Community of True Inspiration Residence is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where West Seneca beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far West Seneca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,523 in 1850, 45,500 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1800 and 5 maps from 1894 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Seneca. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw23 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
7 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
7 mi MuseumUSS The Sullivans
7 mi Stadium & arenaSahlen FieldHighmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Niagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Seneca, 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 West Seneca.
West Seneca gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 10.2% of its 32,334 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
In West Seneca, 83% of adults had a checkup this year. Against the New York average, West Seneca comes out ahead on 12 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 3. Among adults locally, 29% feel lonely and 18% binge drink.
| West Seneca | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | West Seneca | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of its 15 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the West Seneca Central School District. The 5 public schools in West Seneca teach 2,677 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 778 | C− |
| West Seneca West Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,069 | A+ |
| West Seneca East Senior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 779 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Cazenovia Creek Wildlife Management Area, at 122 acres. Trails total 5.1 miles in 16 parks and preserves. West Seneca’s trail density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| West Seneca | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Charles E. Burchfield Nature & Art Center | 1.1 mi | 14 |
| 2. Harlem Road Park | 0.6 mi | 23 |
| 3. West Seneca Soccer Complex | 0.4 mi | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Buffalo weather station, 8 miles away, records that 95 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
For West Seneca, the typical July afternoon high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 22,020 working residents takes 23 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Just 12% of West Seneca’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs locally fell by 2,308 from 2013 to 2023, to 17,044. Half the trips to work are shorter than 8 miles. The top destinations are Buffalo (25%), Amherst (12%) and Cheektowaga (10%).
| West Seneca | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $352 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Flood insurance has paid out on 120 claims in West Seneca since 1978. For West Seneca, the FEMA risk score is 62 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in West Seneca after 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2022. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 75% come from inland flooding and 17% from cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The level of violent crime in West Seneca is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among adults 25 and older, 35% have a four-year degree or more, against 40% across New York. By age, West Seneca looks like New York: each broad group is within 4 points. For residents locally, the share who are under 18 is 19%.
| West Seneca | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.5 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 20% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.3, men 43.6.
| West Seneca | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.8% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes sold in West Seneca spent a median 10 days on the market. 76% of the homes sold in West Seneca went for more than their asking price. Also worth knowing: among households locally, 77% live in a home they own.
| West Seneca | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,106 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of West Seneca
About 4 of every 100 West Seneca residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6 notable people were born in West Seneca.
Town in New York, United States
West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 45,500 at the 2020 census. West Seneca is a centrally located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo. West Seneca, Orchard Park and Hamburg form the inner "Southtowns", a cluster of middle-class suburban towns.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with West Seneca.
Buffalo next door grades lower for schools (D to West Seneca’s B) and higher for cost of living (B to C).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Seneca | #358 | B− | C | C+ | B | A− |
| Cheektowaga | #631 | C− | C+ | D | D | B |
| Buffalo | #722 | D− | B | D− | D | C− |
| Lackawanna | #715 | D | B− | C | D | C− |
| Orchard Park | #189 | A− | D | B | A− | A |
| Elma | #112 | A | C+ | — | A− | A |
Elma reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Seneca with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Seneca grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #358 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health, C+ for safety and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $233,000, 56% 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Lee Stempniak and Chris Mueller.
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