How many people live in Erie County, NY?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 950,600 people living in Erie County, NY. That makes Erie County the eighth-most populous county in New York. It is home to 4.8% of people living in the state.
951K
population of Erie County, NY (2024)
4.8%
County share of the New York population (2024)
About 950,600 people lived in Erie County, NY in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Erie County, NY’s age demographics?
About 193,700 Erie County, NY residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 20.4% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.9% of New York’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 189,000 Erie County residents, or 19.9% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 20.1% of New York’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Erie County, NY's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Erie County, NY’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 72.4% of the Erie County, NY population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Erie County, NY also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (12.8%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Erie County’s Hispanic population accounts for 6.6%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 5.5% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Erie County, NY has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than New York as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Erie County, NY is Buffalo with about 276,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Erie County, NY ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Buffalo | 276,617 |
| 2. | West Seneca | 45,381 |
| 3. | Clarence | 33,266 |
| 4. | Grand Island | 21,565 |
| 5. | Lackawanna | 19,629 |
| 6. | Tonawanda | 14,984 |
| 7. | Kenmore | 14,936 |
| 8. | Elma | 11,700 |
| 9. | Lancaster | 10,094 |
| 10. | Hamburg | 9,835 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
