Best PlacesBlack Rock, Buffalo, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Black Rock, Buffalo, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Black Rock, Buffalo ranks 4,930th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Black Rock, Buffalo
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Black Rock, Buffalo's strengths and weaknesses
Where Black Rock, Buffalo ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.3 minutes each way, better than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Black Rock, Buffalo ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$31,602 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Black Rock, Buffalo
A household needs to earn about $30,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Black Rock, Buffalo home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $31,602, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Black Rock, Buffalo's effective rate of 1.00%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Black Rock, Buffalo
Black Rock, Buffalo runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Black Rock, Buffalo.
Who works in Black Rock, Buffalo, and how
Work in Black Rock, Buffalo centers on hospitality & food and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 26%
Life in Black Rock, Buffalo
Black Rock, Buffalo has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Black Rock, Buffalo and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Black Rock, Buffalo, month by month
Black Rock, Buffalo sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 28° | 20° |
| April | 58° | 46° | 36° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 63° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Black Rock, Buffalo
The nearest airport, Buffalo Niagara International, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 183 miles away.
The best schools in and around Black Rock, Buffalo
Schools across Black Rock, Buffalo average a C−, better than 44% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Frank A Sedita School #30D− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Middle Early College High SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Mckinley Vocational High SchoolA · 69% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Black Rock, Buffalo school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Black Rock, Buffalo measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Black Rock, Buffalo against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Black Rock, Buffalo
Is Black Rock, Buffalo a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Black Rock, Buffalo ranks 4,930th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, heat safety, and biking, and lowest on internet speeds and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Black Rock, Buffalo expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $110,283. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $31,602 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Black Rock, Buffalo safe?
Black Rock, Buffalo is safer than 24% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $645 per resident a year.
Compare Black Rock, Buffalo with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Black Rock, Buffalo. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Black Rock, Buffalo represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Black Rock, Buffalo detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Black Rock, Buffalo: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Black Rock, Buffalo: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Black Rock, Buffalo: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Black Rock, Buffalo: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Black Rock, Buffalo detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.