Erie County, New York

County in NY, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

950,622

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

40.4

years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older

Diversity Index

45.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

7.5%

foreign-born population

92.5%Native

7.5% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Erie County is a county in New York, United States.

Location

County in NY, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.752759° N, 78.778192° W

DMS42° 45′ 09.93″ N, 78° 46′ 41.49″ W

Population Density & area

911.4/sq mi (352/km²)

Total Area

1,227 sq mi (3,178 km²)

Land Area

1,043 sq mi (2,701 km²) · 85%

Water Area

184 sq mi (477 km²) · 15%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.7% male

Male 48.7%

Female 51.3%

males per 100 females

Erie County 94.8

New York 95.5

United States 98

Nativity

7.5%

foreign-born population

92.5%Native

7.5% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Erie County 7.5%

New York 22.8%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

40.4

years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older

Erie County

40.4

New York

39.8

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

65.1

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Erie County 65.1

New York 62.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Erie County	New York	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	20.1%	20.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.6%	61.6%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	19.3%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	65.1	62.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	33.2	33.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	31.8	29.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

72.3%

Black

12.1%

Asian

4.9%

Hispanic

6.4%

Other

4.3%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

45.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Erie County 45.5%

New York 65.4%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Erie County population

	Erie County	New York	United States
Hispanic or Latino	6.4%	19.8%	19.3%
Mexican	0.8%	2.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	3.7%	5.1%	1.8%
Cuban	0.2%	0.4%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.7%	11.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	93.6%	80.2%	80.7%
One race	90.1%	76.4%	76.4%
White	72.3%	52.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	12.1%	13.4%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.3%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	4.9%	9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.4%	1%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.5%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

57.1% family

Family 57.1%

Non family 42.9%

% family households

Erie County 57.1%

New York 61.4%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.26

persons per household

Erie County

2.26

New York

2.49

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Erie County population

	Erie County	New York	United States
Total households	409,665	7,722,646	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.26	2.49	2.53
Family households	233,809	4,738,075	82,990,528
Average family size	2.95	3.16	3.14
Married couple family	163,704	3,279,487	60,637,388
Other families	70,105	1,458,588	22,353,140
Male householder	18,912	398,169	6,572,819
Female householder	51,193	1,060,419	15,780,321
Non-family households	175,856	2,984,571	46,236,968
One-person households	143,470	2,398,170	37,140,836
Male householder	63,815	1,045,868	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	20,394	332,696	5,225,110
Female householder	79,655	1,352,302	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	40,333	673,031	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	32,386	586,401	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

441,214

housing units

Erie County 441,214

New York 8,585,241

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

92.8% occupied

Occupied 92.8%

Vacant 7.2%

vacancy rate

Erie County 7.2%

New York 10%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

62.2%

Single family houses

62.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

36.3%

Mobile homes

1.5%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1958

Half of houses were built before 1958, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

29.4%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

37%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

23.6%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.9%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Erie County	New York	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	9.7%	24.3%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	52.9%	48.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	37.4%	27.2%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.8%	5.4%	2.9%
1 bedroom	8.9%	19%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	25.8%	26.6%	25%
3 bedrooms	41.9%	31.1%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	21.6%	17.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1958	1959	1981
Total housing units	441,214	8,585,241	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

65.8% owners

Renter-occupied 34.2%

Owner-occupied 65.8%

homeownership rate

Erie County 65.8%

New York 54.3%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.41

Owner-occupied

1.97

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Erie County 2.41

New York 2.66

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Erie County	New York	United States
Total occupied units	409,665	7,722,646	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	19.7%	20.5%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38.1%	36.5%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.8%	17.8%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	25.4%	25.2%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.7%	94.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.7%	3.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.5%	2.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	11.5%	29.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	39.6%	33.6%	33.1%
2 vehicles	35.5%	25.4%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	13.4%	11.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	88.8%	64%	51.4%
Electricity	8.7%	15.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.9%	16.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	1%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.4%	1.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.2%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.9%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$233,800

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Erie County

$233,800

New York

$423,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

21.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

21.6%

Owners without a mortgage

13.2%

Renters

50.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Erie County	New York	United States
Property value
Median Value	$233,800	$423,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	11.4%	9.5%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	27.1%	15%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	28.3%	13.2%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	23.7%	19.7%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	8.2%	30.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.3%	12.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	56.8%	57.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	43.2%	42.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,619	$2,555	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$661	$958	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,090	$1,621	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

38%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Erie County 38%

New York 40.2%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Erie County 7.5%

New York 12%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

217,673

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

63.4%

College / Undergraduate

22.7%

Graduate / Professional

7.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

50.9%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Erie County

50.9%

New York

48.5%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Erie County	New York	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	217,673	4,642,703	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	6%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	63.4%	64.1%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.1%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	19.8%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	18.6%	20.1%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	19.9%	20.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	30.6%	29.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	22.7%	22.5%	21%
Graduate, professional school	7.9%	7.3%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	50.9%	48.5%	40.9%
School type
Public school	81.5%	74.7%	82%
Private school	18.5%	25.3%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

674,034

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

9th-12th, no diploma

4.5%

HS graduate

25.1%

Some college no degree

17.4%

Associates degree

11.9%

Bachelors degree

21%

Graduate or professional degree

17.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

47.3% · 52.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

52.3% · 47.7%

HS graduate

49.8% · 50.2%

Some college no degree

49.4% · 50.6%

Associates degree

42.6% · 57.4%

Bachelors degree

50.1% · 49.9%

Graduate or professional degree

42.9% · 57.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Erie County	New York	United States
Population (25+)	674,034	14,017,184	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	3%	6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.5%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	25.1%	24.3%	26%
Some college, no degree	17.4%	14.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.9%	8.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38%	40.2%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	21%	22.4%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	17.1%	17.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	92.5%	88%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$53,535

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$30,386

HS graduate

$39,102

Some college or associates

$47,901

Bachelors degree

$64,829

Graduate or professional degree

$79,022

Poverty Rate

5.1%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

31.8%

HS graduate

16.6%

Some college or associates

10.8%

Bachelors degree or higher

5.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Erie County	New York	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$53,535	$57,966	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$30,386	$31,511	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$39,102	$40,549	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$47,901	$49,306	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$64,829	$76,052	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$79,022	$95,435	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	31.8%	28.1%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	16.6%	16.8%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	10.8%	11.4%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.1%	5.3%	4.5%

Insights for Erie County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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