Erie County, NY

This county of 946,213 residents needs 11,383 more housing units over the next five years. Erie County is a CDBG-entitlement community, see how the ROAD to Housing Act could change that funding. Erie County is part of the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council.

Housing snapshot

Population
946,213 (2026)
Households
409,873
Median household income
$80,953 (2026)
Typical home value
$293,002
Owner-occupied
61%
Five-year housing need
11,383 units

Comparison to other New York counties

Erie County: $80,953 Median income (2026 estimate)
<$54K >$119K
Erie County: 1.14 jobs to household ratio
<0.57 >1.21
Erie County: Permits since 2021 represent 1.4% of housing
<0.8% >4.9%
On this page

How affordable is this community?

A typical home in Erie County, NY costs $293,002, somewhat above the New York average of $245,316. With a median household income of $80,953 in Erie County, NY, housing costs are a modest stretch for the typical household.

This chart tracks whether housing prices are keeping pace with local incomes. The gap between what homes cost and what households can afford reveals affordability trends over time.

How is the population changing?

Erie County, NY has a population of roughly 950,622 that has been largely stable in recent years.

Population growth patterns reveal how communities are evolving. This chart shows historical population changes by age group and projects future trends based on demographic patterns.

Embed •
Download
Native resolution Full slide 12×10 Default 8×10 Vertical no header 7×12 Landscape 12×7 Side-by-side 6×7 Stacked vertically 7×6
Data CSV
Download all
CommunityScale

Embed this chart

How has employment changed over time?

Jobs by industry sector since 2012. Switch between local jobs — counted where the jobs are located — and resident jobs, counted where the workers live. On the local view the most recent year is a nowcast: it grows the latest local LODES job mix forward using recent county employment growth from QCEW and the BLS local employment series, so the newest point tracks today's economy instead of data that is roughly two years old.

Embed •
Download
Native resolution Full slide 12×10 Default 8×10 Vertical no header 7×12 Landscape 12×7 Side-by-side 6×7 Stacked vertically 7×6
Data CSV
Download all
CommunityScale

Embed this chart

How are households changing by income?

Erie County, NY has roughly 409,873 households and a population that has been largely stable in recent years.

Understanding how households at different income levels are growing or declining helps identify which groups face the greatest housing pressure and where new housing is most needed.

Embed •
Download
Native resolution Full slide 12×10 Default 8×10 Vertical no header 7×12 Landscape 12×7 Side-by-side 6×7 Stacked vertically 7×6
Data CSV
Download all
CommunityScale

Embed this chart

Who lives here today?

In Erie County, NY, detached single-family accounts for 59% of the housing stock. Homeownership is the norm in Erie County, NY, with 61% of units owner-occupied.

Households may have different structure type preferences depending on characteristics such as household size, income, employment, presence of children, age of individuals, and lifestyle choices. Understanding the housing stock in corresponding terms helps assess how well existing units align with existing households' ideals.

Embed •
Download
Native resolution Full slide 12×10 Default 8×10 Vertical no header 7×12 Landscape 12×7 Side-by-side 6×7 Stacked vertically 7×6
Data CSV
Download all
CommunityScale

Embed this chart

What does the housing stock look like?

The mix of housing types and ownership patterns shapes a community's character. This chart breaks down housing units by structure type and whether they're owner-occupied or rented.

Embed •
Download
Native resolution Full slide 12×10 Default 8×10 Vertical no header 7×12 Landscape 12×7 Side-by-side 6×7 Stacked vertically 7×6
Data CSV
Download all
CommunityScale

Embed this chart

How much new housing supply is needed?

To keep up with growth and fill current housing shortages, Erie County, NY needs 11,383 new units over the next 5 years.

11,383
Units to address shortages in existing housing stock
Production needs to address vacancy rates and other factors.
2,380
Replacement housing
Effective annual loss rate is 1.1 per 1,000 units.
2,513
Ownership vacancy adjustment
Owner-occupied vacancy is 0.6%. This is below the minimum stable target of 1.5%.
5,645
Rental vacancy adjustment
Rental vacancy is 3.8%. This is below the minimum stable target of 7.4%.
845
Substandard housing adjustment
Substandard housing rate is 1.19%. This is above National avg. of 0.98%.
11,383
Total 5-year housing production need (2026-2031)
2,277
Annual production pace
Average units needed per year to meet 5-year need
2.6%
Total housing unit growth
Percent increase in housing stock over 5 years
0.5%
Annual housing unit growth
Average percent increase in housing stock per year

Build Now Act: how could CDBG funding change?

The Build Now Act (Section 213 of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act) ties a CDBG entitlement community's grant to how much housing it is building. This is a CommunityScale estimate from public ACS data, not HUD's official determination — HUD calculates from Census Master Address File block counts.

How do these communities compare to each other?