What share of people in Buffalo are on low incomes?

48.8% of residents of Buffalo had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 35th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; New York: 28.4%).

Poverty and living standards in Buffalo, New York: official figures

26.0% of residents of Buffalo (70,101 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 33rd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; New York: 14.0%).

Poverty rate

26.0%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

35.5%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

52.3%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Buffalo?

35.5% of children under 18 in Buffalo lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (21,674 children), 33rd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; New York: 18.3%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Buffalo?

By age, the poverty rate in Buffalo was 34.2% for children under 6 and 21.0% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Buffalo live in deep poverty?

33,749 people in Buffalo, 12.5% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 54th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Buffalo are cost-burdened?

52.3% of renting households in Buffalo spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (33,602 households), 382nd lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; New York: 52.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Buffalo spend half their income on rent?

30.9% of renting households in Buffalo spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 187th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Buffalo are food insecure?

An estimated 27.7% of adults in Buffalo experienced food insecurity in the past year, joint 74th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 22.9% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Buffalo compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Buffalo ranks 33 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
30	Fort Pierce	26.2%
31	Valdosta	26.1%
32	Edinburg	26.0%
33	Buffalo	26.0%
34	Champaign	25.9%
35	Springfield	25.8%
36	Harrisonburg	25.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Buffalo ranks 33 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
30	Galveston	35.7%
31	Memphis	35.7%
32	Hartford	35.6%
33	Buffalo	35.5%
34	Pharr	35.5%
35	Macon-Bibb County	35.5%
36	Pontiac	35.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Buffalo ranks 54 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
51	Camden	12.6%
52	Schenectady	12.6%
53	Canton	12.5%
54	Buffalo	12.5%
55	Springfield	12.5%
56	Birmingham	12.4%
57	Chico	12.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Buffalo ranks 442 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
439	Lawrence	52.3%
440	Spokane Valley	52.3%
441	Philadelphia	52.3%
442	Buffalo	52.3%
443	Kokomo	52.3%
444	Apple Valley	52.2%
445	Wilmington	52.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Buffalo ranks 74 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
71	Hesperia	27.9%
72	National City	27.9%
73	Pomona	27.8%
74	Buffalo	27.7%
75	Gulfport	27.7%
76	Lorain	27.7%
77	Fresno	27.6%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Buffalo: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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