Best PlacesForest, Buffalo, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Forest, Buffalo, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Forest, Buffalo ranks 2,438th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Forest, 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.
Forest, Buffalo's strengths and weaknesses
Where Forest, Buffalo ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Forest, Buffalo ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 30% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Forest, Buffalo
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Forest, Buffalo home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $65,254, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Forest, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Forest, Buffalo
Forest, Buffalo runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Forest, Buffalo.
Who works in Forest, Buffalo, and how
Work in Forest, Buffalo centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in Forest, Buffalo
Forest, Buffalo has more restaurants and bars per resident than 70% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Forest, Buffalo and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Forest, Buffalo, month by month
Forest, 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 Forest, 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 182 miles away.
The best schools in and around Forest, Buffalo
Schools across Forest, 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
- Lafayette International SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Forest, Buffalo school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Forest, 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 Forest, Buffalo against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Forest, Buffalo
Is Forest, Buffalo a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Forest, Buffalo ranks 2,438th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, heat safety, and biking, and lowest on empty homes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Forest, Buffalo expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $288,811. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $65,254 median income, cost of living beats 45% of neighborhoods.
Is Forest, Buffalo safe?
Forest, Buffalo is safer than 41% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $524 per resident a year.
Compare Forest, Buffalo with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Forest, Buffalo. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Forest, 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.
Forest, Buffalo detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Forest, Buffalo: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Forest, Buffalo: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Forest, Buffalo: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Forest, Buffalo: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Forest, 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.