Buffalo has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Buffalo without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Buffalo: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$98,850 median income · $410,876 median home price
Williamsville is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Buffalo area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Williamsville.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $98,850 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Buffalo region. And only 1.4% are out of work. Homes average more than $410,876 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,292 median income · $297,871 median home price
Located in
Erie County, New York
Hamburg is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Buffalo for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.4% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$103,949 median income · $431,047 median home price
Located in
Erie County, New York
Here in East Aurora, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Buffalo metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in East Aurora.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$73,821 median income · $339,135 median home price
Lewiston ranks as the 4th best suburb of Buffalo for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lewiston and the schools are some of the best around.
$77,639 median income · $249,943 median home price
Located in
Erie County, New York
Coming in as the fifth best is Kenmore.
Kenmore gets kudos for having the 11th most expensive homes in the Buffalo area, where houses sell for an average of $249,943. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$66,148 median income · $242,275 median home price
Located in
Erie County, New York
Lancaster is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.3%.
According to online reports, Lancaster is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Buffalo area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,108 median income · $217,195 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Angola.
Angola schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 19.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
$73,556 median income · $260,965 median home price
Located in
Erie County, New York
Depew is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.0% of people lack insurance, good for 13th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$66,961 median income · $273,946 median home price
Located in
Niagara County, New York
Is ‘Everything Better In North Tonawanda?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,904 median income · $478,558 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Orchard Park.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
New York statewide median: $85,974
New York statewide median: $507,794
New York statewide median: 6.4%
New York statewide median: 14.0%
On the map
Where the best Buffalo suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Buffalo for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Buffalo was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Buffalo.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 21 suburbs to evaluate around Buffalo.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 21 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Buffalo.” We’re lookin’ at you, Williamsville.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Buffalo suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Buffalo Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williamsville | 2.86 | 5,469 | $98,850 | $410,876 |
| 2 | Hamburg | 3.64 | 9,792 | $112,292 | $297,871 |
| 3 | East Aurora | 5.14 | 5,993 | $103,949 | $431,047 |
| 4 | Lewiston | 7.00 | 2,588 | $73,821 | $339,135 |
| 5 | Kenmore | 7.21 | 15,044 | $77,639 | $249,943 |
| 6 | Lancaster | 7.57 | 10,113 | $66,148 | $242,275 |
| 7 | Angola | 9.00 | 2,411 | $81,108 | $217,195 |
| 8 | Depew | 9.21 | 15,000 | $73,556 | $260,965 |
| 9 | North Tonawanda | 9.43 | 30,198 | $66,961 | $273,946 |
| 10 | Orchard Park | 9.57 | 3,072 | $99,904 | $478,558 |
| 11 | Sloan | 9.79 | 3,751 | $72,214 | $176,015 |
| 12 | Alden | 11.64 | 2,633 | $70,541 | $255,814 |
| 13 | Springville | 12.14 | 4,190 | $71,996 | $249,477 |
| 14 | Attica | 12.57 | 2,028 | $62,340 | $188,596 |
| 15 | Lockport | 14.00 | 20,610 | $62,410 | $257,725 |
| 16 | Akron | 14.29 | 2,897 | $44,935 | $309,193 |
| 17 | Blasdell | 15.21 | 2,549 | $69,856 | $203,932 |
| 18 | Lackawanna | 16.71 | 19,753 | $52,110 | $168,586 |
| 19 | Silver Creek | 16.79 | 2,604 | $63,854 | $185,229 |
| 20 | Niagara Falls | 16.93 | 47,987 | $49,101 | $166,405 |
| 21 | Youngstown | 20.29 | 59,331 | $34,408 | $70,004 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 21 suburbs within 30 miles of Buffalo.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Buffalo ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Buffalo are Williamsville, Hamburg, East Aurora, Lewiston, Kenmore, Lancaster, Angola, Depew, North Tonawanda, and Orchard Park.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Buffalo but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Buffalo FAQs
What is the best suburb of Buffalo?
Williamsville is the best suburb of Buffalo for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Hamburg and East Aurora are next.
What are the best suburbs of Buffalo?
The best suburbs of Buffalo are Williamsville, Hamburg, East Aurora, Lewiston, Kenmore, Lancaster, Angola, Depew, North Tonawanda, and Orchard Park. We ranked all 21 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Williamsville?
The median household income in Williamsville is $98,850 and the median home costs $410,876. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Buffalo?
Any place within 30 miles of Buffalo qualifies. 21 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Buffalo suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Williamsville, takes the crown.
