Buffalo, New York Population 2024

275,352

Buffalo is a city located in Erie County New York. Buffalo has a 2024 population of 275,352. It is also the county seat of Erie County. Buffalo is currently declining at a rate of -0.21% annually and its population has decreased by -0.82% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 277,620 in 2020.

The average household income in Buffalo is $66,571 with a poverty rate of 27.17%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Buffalo is 33.9 years, 33.1 years for males, and 34.9 years for females.

Buffalo is the second-most populous city of New York behind New York City. Buffalo is located in Western New York on Lake Erie at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.

Population Size and Density in Buffalo, NY

The city proper has a population density of 6,436 people per square mile (2,568 per square kilometer). The urban population is about 93,600, which ranks 46th in the country. The Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area has a combined population of about 1.3 million and the 49th largest in the U.S., while the Combined Statistical Area has a population of 1.2 million.

Buffalo Diversity

The most common ancestry groups in Buffalo are German (13.6%), Irish (12.2%), Italian (11.7%), Polish (11.7%) and English (4.0%). There are large populations of people from Irish, Italian, Polish, German, Jewish, Arab, Greek, Indian, Macedonian, Indian and Puerto Rican descent.

Many ethnic neighborhoods have changed over the last fifty years as well. The East Side was traditionally a Polish-American community with Italian-Americans in the West Side. Today, the East Side is mostly African American while the West Side has many ethnicities. Through much of Buffalo's history, the First Ward (a collection of neighborhoods) has been almost wholly people of Irish descent, but it is now home to many people of Arab descent, particularly those from Yemen. The Jewish population, meanwhile, has moved to the suburbs or the Upper West Side since the 1950s.

In 2008, the United Nations rated the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area as being one of the worst cities in the world in terms of economic inequality and racial bias, stating that 40% of Hispanic, black and ethnically mixed households earned less than $15,000, versus 15% of white households. The United States Census department also called the area the 8th most segregated in the country.

Buffalo Population Growth

Buffalo's population peaked in 1950, like many former industrial cities, at which time it was the 15th largest city in the country. Buffalo's population had declined in every census since 1950 when its population was 580,000. In 2006, Buffalo's community was equivalent to its population in 1890, essentially reversing it 120 years.

After a decades-long loss of young people, the Buffalo-Niagara area has finally turned things around and is once more seeing a growth in the number of Millennials moving to the region. Since 2006, the number of Millennials (aged 20 through 34) has grown by over 10% while the region's total population shrank 1%. This has been the most substantial growth of young people among all counties in New York and exceeds national growth for the age group.

Buffalo Facts

  • Buffalo is home to the original Buffalo chicken wing. Before its invention, chicken wings were used in stock or thrown away. The invention is credited to Anchor Bar owners Frank and Teressa Bellissimo, who created the first Buffalo wings in 1964.
  • Buffalo is also famous for beef on weck, a culinary dish derived from earlier German immigrants to the area. It's believed a German baker in Buffalo came up with the sandwich, which has roast beef and horseradish on a kummelweck roll.
  • Buffalo's most infamous event was the 1971 Attica prison riot.
  • "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically correct sentence that uses all three meanings of the word: the city of Buffalo, a verb meaning to buffalo (or bully) and the animal buffalo.
  • The 1840s was a prosperous time for Buffalo and is remembered as the Fabulous Forties. This ended with a cholera outbreak in 1849.

Buffalo began as a small trading community in 1789 and quickly grew when the Erie Canal was constructed in 1825. At the time, it had a population of about 2,400, which rose to 10,000 by 1832. By 1900, it was the 8th largest city in the country and became a major railroad hub.

Buffalo has long been home to a sizable African American community and at one point a regular meeting place for abolitionist leaders and a terminus point of the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, Buffalo grew in population from 81,000 to more than 94,000 by 1865. At the start of the 20th century, Buffalo was known as the City of Light for its widespread electric lighting, becoming the first city in the country to use electric street lights in 1881. Buffalo saw great prosperity later during World War II as a manufacturing center, although it reached its peak population by the 1950s and declined for more than 60 years.

Buffalo Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Buffalo was:

  • White: 46.54%
  • Black or African American: 33.24%
  • Asian: 7.63%
  • Two or more races: 6.55%
  • Other race: 5.63%
  • Native American: 0.41%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%
Land Area (mi²)
40.4 sq mi
Density (mi²)
6,819.40/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-0.82% (-2,268)
The current population of Buffalo, New York is 275,352 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 277,620.

Buffalo, New York Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White128,77346.54%
Black or African American91,96333.24%
Asian21,1067.63%
Two or more races18,1216.55%
Other race15,5675.63%
Native American1,1400.41%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander180.01%

White

Black or African American

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Buffalo Population by Race

Buffalo Population Pyramid 2024

Buffalo Median Age

33.9

Total

33.1

Male

34.9

Female

Buffalo Adults

There are 214,853 adults, (37,156 of whom are seniors) in Buffalo.

Buffalo Age Dependency

55.7

Age Dependency Ratio

20.9

Old Age Dependency Ratio

34.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Buffalo Sex Ratio

Female143,24151.77%
Male133,44748.23%

Buffalo Population by Age

Buffalo Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All118,8972.2542.657.4
Non Family60,7201.2833.566.5
Married29,2253.3569.630.4
Female22,8923.2432.167.9
Male6,0602.9944.355.7

3.14

Average Family Size

2.25

Average Household Size

42.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Buffalo Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Buffalo Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Buffalo Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 40.27%.

Buffalo Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$38,626

Average Earnings

$41,001

Average Male

$36,458

Average Female

Buffalo Earnings by Educational Attainment

Buffalo Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Buffalo Language

80.89% of Buffalo residents speak only English, while 19.11% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 7.57% of the population.

Buffalo Language

Buffalo Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black89,50027,58930.83%
White116,89420,83817.83%
Hispanic33,32613,34340.04%
Asian20,4148,48241.55%
Other15,0987,02646.54%
Multiple17,8316,07634.08%
Native1,10331828.83%

27.17%

Overall Poverty Rate

26.67%

Male Poverty Rate

27.64%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Buffalo

The race most likely to be in poverty in Buffalo is Other, with 46.54% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Buffalo is White, with 17.83% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.43%. Among those working part-time, it was 27.17%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 41.41%.

Buffalo Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade42.22%
High School26.15%
Some College19.82%
Bachelors or Greater9.86%

Buffalo Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed42.74%
Male Unemployed41.65%
Female Employed12.29%
Male Employed10.76%

Buffalo Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Buffalo Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Buffalo Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

29.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

30.9%

Male Marriage Rate

27.6%

Female Marriage Rate

Buffalo Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Buffalo Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Buffalo Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Buffalo Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

11,151

Number of Veterans

9,935

Male Veterans

1,216

Female Veterans

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Buffalo Veterans by War

count

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Buffalo Veterans by Age

count

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Buffalo Veterans by Race

Buffalo Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

13.01%

Veteran Poverty Rate

29.05%

Veteran Disability Rate

Buffalo Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

60.2%

Labor Force Participation

55.9%

Employment Rate

7%

Unemployment Rate

Buffalo Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Buffalo Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Buffalo Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

73.93%

Born in Buffalo

89.24%

Native Born

10.76%

Foreign Born

5.22%

Non Citizen

5.54%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

89.24% of Buffalo residents were born in the United States, with 73.93% having been born in New York. 5.22% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Buffalo Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
2029272,517-567-0.21%
2028273,084-567-0.21%
2027273,651-567-0.21%
2026274,218-567-0.21%
2025274,785-567-0.21%
2024275,352-567-0.21%
2023275,919-567-0.21%
2022276,486-1,359-0.49%
2021277,8452250.08%
2020277,62022,3038.74%
2019255,317-559-0.22%
2018255,876-531-0.21%
2017256,407-504-0.2%
2016256,911-1,321-0.51%
2015258,232-1,372-0.53%
2014259,604-454-0.17%
2013260,058-125-0.05%
2012260,183-538-0.21%
2011260,721-559-0.21%
2010261,280
2000292,648-35,475-10.81%
1990328,123-29,747-8.31%
1980357,870-104,898-22.67%
1970462,768-69,991-13.14%
1960532,759-47,373-8.17%
1950580,1324,2310.73%
1940575,9012,8250.49%
1930573,07666,30113.08%
1920506,77583,06019.6%
1910423,71571,32820.24%
1900352,38796,72337.83%
1890255,664100,53064.8%
1880155,13437,42031.79%
1870117,71436,58545.09%
186081,12938,86891.97%
185042,26124,048132.04%
184018,2139,545110.12%
18308,6686,568312.76%
18202,10060040%
18101,500-271,017-99.45%
showing: 40 rows

Buffalo Population by Year