Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$164,200
Buffalo $226,100
Median rent$1,046/mo
Buffalo $1,057/mo
Cost-burdened households38%
Buffalo 28%
Buffalo
Erie County276,854 residentsBuffalo City School District
52
D+
Suburbgrade score
10th of 13 Buffalo suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
52
Buffalo median 59
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Buffalo yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 52 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Buffalo is like to live in, by category
Bars show Buffalo against Buffalo. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 33/100
F
Within-state proficiency6th pct
Buffalo median 33rd pct
Student–teacher ratio10.4
Buffalo median 11.0
Graduation rate66%
Buffalo median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index89
Buffalo 100
Eff. tax rate1.03%
Buffalo 1.72%
Local sales tax8.54%
Buffalo median 8.54%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Mean commute19.9 min
Buffalo 21.5 min
Under 30 minutes81%
Buffalo 75%
Transit stops / sq mi4.9
Buffalo median 2.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 84/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés159
Buffalo median 49 · within 2 miles
Groceries8
Buffalo median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks126
Buffalo median 40 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 31/100
F
Median household income$50,041
Buffalo $72,237
Unemployment7.3%
Buffalo 5.1%
Professional occupations39%
Buffalo 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Buffalo yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Buffalo on employment & income
Buffalo's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Lancaster10 mi from BuffaloC+ 63 C+ Kenmore5 mi from BuffaloC+ 65 C+ Tonawanda Town6 mi from BuffaloC 64 C+ Eggertsville6 mi from BuffaloC 71 B− West Seneca7 mi from BuffaloC− 59 C Depew8 mi from BuffaloC− 60 C Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Buffalo
Is Buffalo, NY a good place to live?
Buffalo scores 52 out of 100, 10th of 13 Buffalo suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Buffalo expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $164,200, 27% below the Buffalo median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.03%. $1,046/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Buffalo?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Buffalo sit at the 6th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 66% graduation rate and a 10.4 student–teacher ratio. Buffalo is served by Buffalo City School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Buffalo?
The mean commute is 19.9 min, with 81% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 4.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Buffalo?
Within two miles there are 8 groceries, 159 restaurants and cafés and 126 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Buffalo old or new?
The median home in Buffalo was built in 1939 or earlier — older than the Buffalo median of 1957. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 40% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.