What’s the best part of Buffalo? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Buffalo are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Buffalo neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to New York and Buffalo is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$80,316 median income · $122,600 median home value
$71,004 median income · $225,476 median home value
$74,251 median income · $232,700 median home value
$68,808 median income · $412,040 median home value
$68,676 median income · $394,850 median home value
$76,898 median income · $250,233 median home value
$60,893 median income · $325,714 median home value
$46,968 median income · $103,980 median home value
$41,665 median income · $197,789 median home value
$68,309 median income · $118,271 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Buffalo, NY neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Buffalo, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 52 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Buffalo.” We’re lookin’ at you, South Abbott.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Buffalo, New York has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Buffalo.
The full plate
Table: Best Buffalo neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Abbott | 3,476 | $122,600 | $80,316 |
| 2 | North Park | 12,100 | $225,476 | $71,004 |
| 3 | Starin Central | 5,145 | $232,700 | $74,251 |
| 4 | Albright | 2,729 | $412,040 | $68,808 |
| 5 | Central Business District | 1,657 | $394,850 | $68,676 |
| 6 | Parkside | 2,865 | $250,233 | $76,898 |
| 7 | Delaware-West Ferry | 6,397 | $325,714 | $60,893 |
| 8 | Hamlin Park | 6,045 | $103,980 | $46,968 |
| 9 | Front Park | 12,235 | $197,789 | $41,665 |
| 10 | Abbott McKinley | 7,076 | $118,271 | $68,309 |
| 11 | Forest | 9,331 | $231,118 | $61,585 |
| 12 | University | 5,334 | $120,567 | $56,623 |
| 13 | Bryant | 6,083 | $328,200 | $41,622 |
| 14 | South Park | 5,836 | $116,900 | $61,144 |
| 15 | North Delaware | 2,232 | $158,943 | $44,597 |
| 16 | Cazenovia Park | 5,098 | $93,060 | $40,789 |
| 17 | Grant Ferry | 7,396 | $167,853 | $58,566 |
| 18 | Columbus | 2,350 | $271,300 | $34,538 |
| 19 | Kensington | 11,649 | $74,338 | $44,136 |
| 20 | Park Meadow | 3,361 | $268,100 | $72,990 |
| 21 | Lakeview | 4,139 | $195,367 | $26,270 |
| 22 | Seneca | 2,907 | $84,680 | $39,029 |
| 23 | Riverside Park | 11,251 | $71,100 | $28,679 |
| 24 | Allen | 3,045 | $257,525 | $41,923 |
| 25 | Triangle | 3,806 | $85,160 | $50,160 |
| 26 | Kaisertown | 5,454 | $73,667 | $44,263 |
| 27 | Waterfront | 951 | $492,400 | $35,846 |
| 28 | Delaware Park | 1,741 | $227,840 | $63,047 |
| 29 | Cold Spring | 1,237 | $80,750 | $50,303 |
| 30 | Black Rock | 6,883 | $127,562 | $40,531 |
| 31 | Lasalle | 9,088 | $91,614 | $42,032 |
| 32 | Leroy | 5,169 | $110,557 | $36,770 |
| 33 | Kenfield | 7,136 | $58,729 | $36,236 |
| 34 | Emslie | 1,521 | $74,175 | $32,854 |
| 35 | Tifft | 1,045 | $57,600 | $38,752 |
| 36 | Willert Park | 4,582 | $167,825 | $25,014 |
| 37 | Military | 4,024 | $98,467 | $37,590 |
| 38 | First Ward | 1,201 | $51,100 | $28,750 |
| 39 | Kingsley | 2,652 | $55,525 | $33,976 |
| 40 | South Ellicott | 2,376 | $73,900 | $33,740 |
| 41 | Lovejoy | 6,127 | $57,822 | $32,108 |
| 42 | Grider | 5,495 | $58,000 | $34,202 |
| 43 | Schiller Park | 10,298 | $51,136 | $28,852 |
| 44 | Masten Park | 2,465 | $65,150 | $24,229 |
| 45 | Valley | 685 | $44,050 | $27,932 |
| 46 | Mlk Park | 2,942 | $61,480 | $29,420 |
| 47 | Squaw Island | 462 | $75,600 | $28,346 |
| 48 | Genesee Moselle | 3,764 | $40,050 | $27,957 |
| 49 | Medical Park | 2,102 | $31,100 | $32,992 |
| 50 | Broadway-Fillmore | 8,749 | $39,727 | $23,868 |
| 51 | Babcock | 3,029 | $47,550 | $24,532 |
| 52 | Emerson | 2,108 | $50,600 | $23,804 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 52 Buffalo neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Buffalo
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Buffalo where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Buffalo are South Abbott, North Park, Starin Central, Albright, Central Business District, Parkside, Delaware-West Ferry, Hamlin Park, Front Park, and Abbott McKinley.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Buffalo aren’t all good. Emerson takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Buffalo.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Buffalo FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Buffalo?
South Abbott is the best neighborhood in Buffalo for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. North Park and Starin Central are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Buffalo?
The best neighborhoods in Buffalo are South Abbott, North Park, Starin Central, Albright, Central Business District, Parkside, Delaware-West Ferry, Hamlin Park, Front Park, and Abbott McKinley. We ranked all 52 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is South Abbott?
The median household income in South Abbott is $80,316 and the median home costs $122,600. The best blocks in Buffalo rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Buffalo neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, South Abbott, takes the top spot.
Which Buffalo neighborhood ranked last?
Emerson came in last of the 52 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Buffalo the numbers put it there.
