Erie County, New York
Population 950,622 · Buffalo, Lackawanna, Tonawanda
- Overall cost of living: −4.2% vs the US average, higher than 80% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 95 in, higher than 98% of US counties.
- Sunny days / yr: 142 days, lower than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−4.2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $233,800 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,090 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $103/mo | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $13,260/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.98% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| State income tax | 6.5% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $4,622 | higher than 95% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $72,839 | higher than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -1.2% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 439.6 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈142 days | lower than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 80°F | lower than 90% of US counties |
| January low | 18°F | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 95 in | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 3 days | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 124 days | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 2% of weeks | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈59°F | lower than 73% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 40.9 in | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $108/yr | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $105/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.28/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $1.2/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.5/yr | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 84% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.2 µg/m³ | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 2.8 mi | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,154.9 ft | higher than 77% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 38% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 17.1% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 11.1:1 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 89.4% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | N/A | |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| Library visits per resident | 2.1 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 74/100k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 11 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.6★ | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.6 yrs | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 4.2% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 431/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 84/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 32.6/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 97.2% | higher than 96% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 31 min | lower than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 31 min | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.2% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 2.8% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 12.9% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 19 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 75 per sq mi | higher than 91% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.3 per 1k | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 22.2 per 1k | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Population | 950,622 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Median age | 40.4 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -2.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 54.8% Dem | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 45.2% Rep | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % White | 72.3% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 6.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Black | 12.1% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Asian | 4.9% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.5% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 909 parks | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.1 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.3 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 42 min | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 14.8% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 61 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 69 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 473 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 122 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 169 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 233 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 26 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 17 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 16 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 55 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 196 km | higher than 92% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data