Buffalo

Niagara Falls

Niagara County47,987 residentsNiagara Falls City School District
45
D
Suburbgrade score

12th of 13 Buffalo suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by employment & income.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Niagara Falls yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 45 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →

The Niagara River seen from Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. From left to right: the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls City (New York State), the AmeNandaro · CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Niagara Falls is like to live in, by category

Bars show Niagara Falls against Buffalo. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 27/100
F
Median home value$115,300
Buffalo $226,100
Median rent$823/mo
Buffalo $1,057/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Buffalo 28%

Schools

18% of the score · 25/100
F
Within-state proficiency7th pct
Buffalo median 33rd pct
Student–teacher ratio15.3
Buffalo median 11.0
Graduation rate65%
Buffalo median 87%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Housing cost index73
Buffalo 100
Eff. tax rate1.44%
Buffalo 1.72%
Local sales tax8.54%
Buffalo median 8.54%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · Tax Foundation state average, January 1, 2026Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 74/100
B
Mean commute19.1 min
Buffalo 21.5 min
Under 30 minutes78%
Buffalo 75%
Transit stops / sq mi2.5
Buffalo median 2.0 · within 2 miles

Amenities

12% of the score · 65/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés44
Buffalo median 49 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Buffalo median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks21
Buffalo median 40 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 21/100
F
Median household income$49,101
Buffalo $72,237
Unemployment9.6%
Buffalo 5.1%
Professional occupations33%
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.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for Niagara Falls 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 Niagara Falls on employment & income

Niagara Falls's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.

SuburbEmploymentMedian household incomeUnemploymentOverall
Lancaster22 mi from Niagara FallsC+$66k1.3% 63 C+ Kenmore11 mi from Niagara FallsC+$78k4.7% 65 C+ Tonawanda Town10 mi from Niagara FallsC$78k3.5% 64 C+ Eggertsville14 mi from Niagara FallsC$83k4.1% 71 B− West Seneca22 mi from Niagara FallsC−$80k4.7% 59 C Depew20 mi from Niagara FallsC−$74k4.2% 60 C
Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24

Common questions about living in Niagara Falls

Is Niagara Falls, NY a good place to live?

Niagara Falls scores 45 out of 100, 12th of 13 Buffalo suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.

Is Niagara Falls expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $115,300, 49% below the Buffalo median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.44%. $823/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in Niagara Falls?

Schools grade F. The districts serving Niagara Falls sit at the 7th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 65% graduation rate and a 15.3 student–teacher ratio. Niagara Falls is served by Niagara Falls City School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from Niagara Falls?

The mean commute is 19.1 min, with 78% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 7.4% working from home. Transit density is 2.5 stops per square mile.

Can you walk anywhere in Niagara Falls?

Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 44 restaurants and cafés and 21 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.

Are the homes in Niagara Falls old or new?

The median home in Niagara Falls was built in 1949 — 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. 63% 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.