Erie County, New York: commercial real estate data.
Erie County, New York had an estimated 950,602 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.4 percent since the 2020 census base of 954,208, across 1,043 square miles. County output reached $81.13 bn in 2024, 22,497 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,222 7(a) approvals worth $335.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Erie County
How many people live in Erie County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024950,622
- Households409,665
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$72,839
- Median age40.4
- Median gross rent$1,090 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$233,800
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher38.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree17.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over674,034
- Population under 18191,431
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over183,350
- Share 65 and over19.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64575,841
- Civilian labor force487,440
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.2 percent
- Rank by population among New York counties8th of 62
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included58th of 3,222
Erie County is the 8th largest of 62 New York counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.1 percent against 19.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Erie County
Is Erie County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024950,602
- Census 2020 base population954,208
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.38 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20242,216
- Births, 20249,105
- Deaths, 20249,673
- Natural change, 2024-568
- Net domestic migration, 2024-2,614
- Net international migration, 20245,371
- Total net migration, 20242,757
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-10,972
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1980th of 3,144
The county has lost 0.38 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Erie County
Where are people moving to Erie County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving11,883
- People arriving, from those returns19,578
- Tax returns filed by households leaving14,548
- Net household movement-2,665
- Adjusted gross income arriving$793.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-344.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$66,766
- Average income of a leaving household$78,233
- Largest single originNiagara County (1,963 households)
- Largest single destinationNiagara County (2,310 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara County | 1,963 | 2,976 | $113.6 m |
| Monroe County | 577 | 793 | $37.4 m |
| Queens County | 468 | 1,138 | $21.5 m |
| Kings County | 357 | 742 | $19.0 m |
| Chautauqua County | 352 | 526 | $17.2 m |
| Cattaraugus County | 318 | 519 | $17.4 m |
| Bronx County | 276 | 668 | $12.1 m |
| Onondaga County | 200 | 277 | $10.7 m |
Households arriving report $11,467 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Niagara County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Erie County
What is the Erie County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$81.13 bn
- County GDP, 2023$77.72 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.4 percent
- GDP change over five years31.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the New York areas BEA publishes7th of 62
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes65th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$85,346
Output grew 4.4 percent in the latest year and 31.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Erie County
Employment by industry in Erie County
- Covered employment, annual average466,138
- Establishments reporting25,097
- Average annual pay$66,971
- Average weekly wage$1,288
- Health care and social assistance, employment68,872
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$62,866
- Retail trade, employment47,891
- Retail trade, average annual pay$39,303
- Manufacturing, employment44,526
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$80,771
- Accommodation and food services, employment38,924
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$26,680
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment27,133
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment24,595
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 68,872 | 2,500 | $62,866 |
| Retail trade | 47,891 | 2,854 | $39,303 |
| Manufacturing | 44,526 | 1,024 | $80,771 |
| Accommodation and food services | 38,924 | 2,272 | $26,680 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 27,133 | 1,760 | $54,244 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 24,595 | 2,497 | $87,001 |
| Finance and insurance | 23,207 | 1,180 | $99,363 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 22,456 | 640 | $49,893 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 68,872 jobs, 14.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Erie County
How many businesses are in Erie County?
- Establishments, all industries22,497
- Employment at those establishments418,202
- Annual payroll$24.67 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.7
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Erie County
Building permits in Erie County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241,208
- Declared construction value permitted$361.5 m
- Single family units authorized584
- Multifamily units authorized624
- Multifamily share of units51.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$299,290
- Units authorized per 1,000 households2.9
Multifamily is 51.7 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Erie County
SBA loans in Erie County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,222
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$335.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$274,620
- Median 7(a) approval$90,000
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$581,480
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)10,556
- Jobs per approval8.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active61
- Distinct industries receiving approvals294
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer7.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms87
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1,096
- Franchise loans91
- Franchise share of approvals7.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (71)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (599)
- 504 approvals recorded224
- 504 gross approval dollars$130.6 m
- Average 504 approval$582,813
- Median 504 approval$343,500
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval8.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.6
- Most active CDCEmpire State Certified Development Corporation (222)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$466.1 m
The average approval of $274,620 sits well above the median of $90,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 7.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Erie County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Erie County
Do SBA loans in Erie County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded207
- Paid in full188
- Charged off19
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans9.2 percent
- Status: Paid in full188
- Status: Cancelled147
- Status: Exempt from disclosure777
- Status: Charged off19
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed91
Of the 207 loans that have reached a final outcome, 9.2 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Erie County
SBA lending by place in Erie County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending53
- Buffalo, approvals526
- Hamburg, approvals79
- Orchard Park, approvals53
- Williamsville, approvals52
- Tonawanda Town, approvals51
- Amherst, approvals44
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 526 | $135,252,200 |
| Hamburg | 79 | $21,369,600 |
| Orchard Park | 53 | $14,157,300 |
| Williamsville | 52 | $23,636,500 |
| Tonawanda Town | 51 | $19,023,600 |
| Amherst | 44 | $18,002,100 |
| Depew | 43 | $15,408,500 |
| Clarence | 31 | $3,114,900 |
| 45 other borrower cities | 343 | $85,620,600 |
Buffalo accounts for 526 approvals against 79 in Hamburg. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Erie County
How large is Erie County?
- Land area1,043 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New York counties14th of 62
- Width, east to west34.2 mi
- Height, north to south44.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land911
- Establishments per square mile21.57
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Erie County
Flood risk in Erie County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book43
- Of those, participating in the NFIP43
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 8
- Communities carrying a CRS class2
- Radon levels in Erie County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Erie County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 8, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Erie County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Erie County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024950,622
- Households409,665
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$72,839
- Median age40.4
Common questions
Erie County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Erie County, New York?
The Census Bureau estimates 950,602 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 950,622, in 409,665 households, ranking 8th of 62 New York counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Erie County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.38 percent since the 2020 census base of 954,208, to 950,602 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 9,105 births against 9,673 deaths, with net migration of 2,757. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Erie County?
$72,839. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $233,800, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,090 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Erie County?
22,497 establishments, employing 418,202 people with an annual payroll of $24.67 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Erie County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 68,872 jobs, 14.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 466,138 jobs at an average annual pay of $66,971, or $1,288 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Erie County?
1,222 7(a) approvals totaling $335.6 m since FY2020, across 61 lenders, with a median approval of $90,000, plus 224 504 approvals worth $130.6 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Erie County get paid back?
Of the 207 loans that have reached a final outcome, 188 were paid in full and 19 charged off, a charge-off rate of 9.2 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Erie County?
1,208 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $361.5 m. Multifamily was 51.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Erie County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Erie County come from?
The largest single origin is Niagara County, with 1,963 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,766 against $78,233 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Erie County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Erie County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Erie County
Cities and places in Erie.
38 Census places lie wholly or partly in Erie County. All 38 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | city | 276,854 | 526 | Wholly in this county |
| Cheektowaga | CDP | 76,056 | 20 | Wholly in this county |
| Tonawanda Town | CDP | 56,806 | 51 | Wholly in this county |
| West Seneca | CDP | 45,303 | 29 | Wholly in this county |
| Lackawanna | city | 19,753 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Kenmore | village | 15,044 | 19 | Wholly in this county |
| Tonawanda | city | 15,030 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Depew | village | 15,000 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| Eggertsville | CDP | 14,894 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lancaster | village | 10,113 | 28 | Wholly in this county |
| Hamburg | village | 9,792 | 79 | Wholly in this county |
| University at Buffalo | CDP | 7,020 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Harris Hill | CDP | 6,069 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Aurora | village | 5,993 | 29 | Wholly in this county |
| Williamsville | village | 5,469 | 52 | Wholly in this county |
| Grandyle Village | CDP | 4,912 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Springville | village | 4,190 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Sloan | village | 3,751 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Highland-on-the-Lake | CDP | 3,584 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lake Erie Beach | CDP | 3,279 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Eden | CDP | 3,113 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Orchard Park | village | 3,072 | 53 | Wholly in this county |
| Akron | village | 2,897 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Elma Center | CDP | 2,814 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Gowanda | village | 2,683 | 1 | 35.0 percent here, 65.0 percent Cattaraugus County |
| Clarence | CDP | 2,673 | 31 | Wholly in this county |
| Wanakah | CDP | 2,664 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Alden | village | 2,633 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Blasdell | village | 2,549 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Clarence Center | CDP | 2,432 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Angola | village | 2,411 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| North Boston | CDP | 2,358 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Town Line | CDP | 2,229 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Angola on the Lake | CDP | 1,707 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Billington Heights | CDP | 1,610 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| North Collins | village | 1,081 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Holland | CDP | 1,024 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Farnham | village | 435 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 175 of the county's 1,222 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Erie County, the largest being Amherst (44), Elma (21), Grand Island (20). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby