• county
  • FIPS 36029
  • Largest town: Buffalo

Erie County, New York

Erie County had 950,602 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,042.8 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 62 in New York by population and 14th by land area.

Population
950,602
#8 of 62 in New York · #59 in US
Area
1,042.8 sq mi
#14 of 62 in New York · #631 in US
Density
912 / sq mi
#11 of 62 in New York · #172 in US
Median household income
$70,443
#29 of 62 in New York · #967 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Erie County within New York. Pin: Albany.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Erie County

Erie County population, land area and income

Erie County had 950,602 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,042.8 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 62 in New York by population and 14th by land area. That works out to 911.6 people per square mile, 9.5 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in New York has 85,936 residents, so Erie County is 11.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $70,443 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

950,602

3144th1st

59th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,043 sq mi

3144th1st

631st of 3,144 (US)

Density

911.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

172nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$70,443

3143rd1st

967th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within New York (62)

Population

950,602

62nd1st

8th of 62 (NY)

Land area

1,043 sq mi

62nd1st

14th of 62 (NY)

Density

911.6 / sq mi

62nd1st

11th of 62 (NY)

Median household income

$70,443

62nd1st

29th of 62 (NY)

How Erie County's population changed since 2020

Erie County lost 1,751 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.2%. That ranks 26th of 62 in New York for growth. The median New York county changed by -0.8%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Erie County recorded 39,487 births and 45,048 deaths, a natural change of -5,561. Net international migration added +13,786 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -12,354. The largest single component was international migration, which added 13,786 people.

952.4k2020953.0k2021948.7k2022948.4k2023950.6k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
39,487
Deaths
45,048
Net international migration
+13,786
Net domestic migration
-12,354
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,216

Where Erie County is

The Census internal point of Erie County is at 42.752800, -78.778200. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades New York's 62 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Erie County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Tompkins County: +5.8%Yates County: -1.3%Suffolk County: +0.9%Broome County: -0.9%Cortland County: -1.7%Fulton County: -2.0%Ulster County: +0.9%Rockland County: +3.2%Essex County: -1.5%Westchester County: +0.5%Niagara County: -1.2%Dutchess County: +1.4%Seneca County: -2.6%Onondaga County: -0.9%Tioga County: -1.6%Erie County: -0.2%Wayne County: -0.5%Delaware County: -0.1%Greene County: -1.8%Schenectady County: +1.9%Allegany County: -0.1%Rensselaer County: -0.1%Monroe County: -0.7%Warren County: -0.5%Livingston County: -0.1%Madison County: -1.3%Jefferson County: -2.5%Sullivan County: +2.5%Lewis County: +0.0%Oswego County: +0.7%Putnam County: +0.8%New York County: -1.1%Columbia County: -1.8%St. Lawrence County: -2.0%Schuyler County: -4.1%Franklin County: -0.3%Steuben County: -1.4%Cayuga County: -2.1%Oneida County: -1.2%Chemung County: -3.1%Herkimer County: -0.7%Schoharie County: +1.3%Cattaraugus County: -2.0%Chautauqua County: -2.6%Chenango County: -2.8%Hamilton County: +0.2%Orange County: +2.7%Washington County: -2.1%Ontario County: +0.6%Bronx County: -5.1%Wyoming County: -1.5%Clinton County: -2.3%Orleans County: -1.0%Montgomery County: +0.3%Nassau County: +0.1%Kings County: -3.6%Genesee County: -1.2%Otsego County: +3.7%Albany County: +1.9%Queens County: -3.1%Richmond County: +0.6%Saratoga County: +1.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < -1.2%
  3. < -0.2%
  4. < +0.7%
  5. ≥ +0.7%
no data

Orange pin: Erie County internal point. Dark pin: Albany.

Internal point

Decimal
42.752800, -78.778200
DMS
42°45'10.08"N 78°46'41.52"W
UTM
17N 681823.2E 4735758.0N
Geohash
dpxgpqgmn
Plus code
87J3Q63C+4P

Towns in Erie County

18 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Erie County, 395,700 people together, or 42% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Erie County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Buffalo with 276,617.

  1. 01Buffalo276,617
  2. 02Lackawanna19,629
  3. 03Tonawanda14,984
  4. 04Kenmore14,936
  5. 05Depew14,910
  6. 06Lancaster10,094
  7. 07Hamburg9,835
  8. 08East Aurora5,986
  9. 09Williamsville5,489
  10. 10Springville4,194
  11. 11Sloan3,730
  12. 12Orchard Park3,046
  13. 13Akron2,886
  14. 14Alden2,764
  15. 15Blasdell2,557
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Erie County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Erie County. The most populous is Niagara County, NY, with 209,570 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Albany and the nearest big city

Albany is 255.0 miles E of Erie County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Buffalo, NY (population 276,617), 10.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lackawanna, NY (population 19,629), 5.3 miles away.

Erie County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Erie County is 36029: state code 36 for New York plus county code 029. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $70,443.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Erie County, New York?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 950,602. That is down 1,751 people (0.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 952,353.

What is the FIPS code of Erie County?

36029. The first two digits (36) are New York; the last three (029) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Erie County?

Buffalo, with 276,617 residents inside Erie County in 2024.

Which counties border Erie County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Niagara County, NY; Chautauqua County, NY; Cattaraugus County, NY; Genesee County, NY; Wyoming County, NY.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.