Official Federal Data
Erie County, New York
FIPS 36029 · Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · Population 950,622
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$72,839 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$81.1B ▲
GDP
38% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$72,839 ▲
Per Capita
$42,777 ▲
Mean Household
$97,738 ▲
Poverty Rate
13.9% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Erie County$72,839
New York$85,974
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.1%
18-34 · 22.7%
35-54 · 24%
55-64 · 13.9%
65+ · 19.3%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.9 pts
38%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +2.3 pts
17.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +3.0 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
950,622
Population
487,855
Labor Force
Employed
463,694
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.9%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 74,057 workers (22.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $64,302.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $81.1B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $105,386 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $27,450, a 3.8x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
16,476
Cluster Employment
2.50x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
4.49x 7,567
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.50x 3,228
2.02x 1,381
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
1.60x 4,773
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.59x 12,160
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
1.56x 2,851
Chemical Manufacturing
1.55x 4,141
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
1.55x 2,681
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
1.51x 1,483
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.11x
Air Transportation
182 employed
0.25x
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
139 employed
0.29x
Crop Production
464 employed
0.36x
Wood Product Manufacturing
432 employed
0.39x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
1,042 employed
0.40x
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
1,416 employed
0.41x
Textile Mills
99 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation concentrates at 4.49x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$233,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,090 ▲
Rent/Mo
65.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.2% ▼
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,105/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,139/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,343/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,640/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,869/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,821/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,821/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
575,841 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.6%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
38% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
58,559/yr
18,769/yr
9,530/yr
8,800/yr
8,368/yr
7,300/yr
5,792/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
44.8%
Service
16.7%
Sales & Office
21.3%
Construction / Maint.
5.8%
Production / Transport
11.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 463,694 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 22.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 21.3-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 37,099 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Erie County shows meaningful potential for transit and ground passenger transportation attraction, with a 4.49x concentration and 7,567 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across transit and ground passenger transportation, electrical equipment, appliance manufacturing, and creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Erie County, New York, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Erie County, New York?
950,622 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Erie County, New York?
$72,839 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Erie County, New York?
4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Erie County, New York?
$81.1B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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