Buffalo, IA Demographics

Population 1,356 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Buffalo, IA map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Buffalo

Household size in Buffalo

Household size, people per household
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–102.312.442.68
2010–142.692.452.73
2015–192.682.432.71
2020–242.452.432.65
Change+0.14−0.01−0.03
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Households in Buffalo run small, averaging 2.45 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. That is in line with the rest of Iowa. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.31, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Buffalo

Median age, years
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–1048.038.837.7
2010–1442.939.338.6
2015–1944.139.739.6
2020–2443.339.840.1
Change−4.6+1.0+2.3
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The median resident of Buffalo is 43.3 years old, older than the national median of 40.1.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Buffalo

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–105.6%9.5%12.3%
2010–146.1%9.9%12.3%
2015–195.8%10.0%11.6%
2020–248.0%10.0%11.6%
Change+2.4 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are relatively rare in Buffalo: 8.0% of households, against 11.6% nationally.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Buffalo

Renters in Buffalo

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–109.8%26.8%33.3%
2010–147.4%28.2%35.6%
2015–196.6%28.9%36.0%
2020–249.9%28.3%34.8%
Change+0.1 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Buffalo is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 9.9% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Just over three in ten owners (31.5%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Buffalo

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–104.5%8.7%11.4%
2010–143.8%8.6%11.4%
2015–196.7%9.4%11.1%
2020–244.7%8.8%9.6%
Change+0.1 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Empty homes are scarce in Buffalo: just 4.7% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Buffalo

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–10197419651974
2010–14197419671975
2015–19198019691977
2020–24197919711980
Change+5+6+6
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Homes in Buffalo are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1979, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are newer than in Iowa overall, where the median home dates to 1971.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Buffalo

Rent, per month
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–10$1,009$669$965
2010–14$573$732$1,040
2015–19$690$821$1,213
2020–24$801$1,020$1,571
Change−$208+$351+$606
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Rent in Buffalo runs $801 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 22.1% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Buffalo

Bachelor's degrees in Buffalo

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–1020.9%26.5%28.4%
2010–1422.7%27.9%29.6%
2015–1929.3%29.3%32.1%
2020–2431.1%32.3%35.6%
Change+10.3 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are a little less common in Buffalo than nationally: 31.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The picture is much the same across Iowa.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Buffalo

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–1089.5%90.4%84.9%
2010–1489.5%91.4%86.1%
2015–1992.8%92.1%87.7%
2020–2495.5%93.0%89.3%
Change+5.9 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Buffalo: 95.5% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Buffalo

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodBuffaloIowaU.S.
2006–107.5%5.2%8.1%
2010–143.7%5.4%9.4%
2015–191.7%3.7%5.6%
2020–243.6%3.7%5.4%
Change−3.8 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Buffalo runs below the national rate: 3.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. The picture is much the same across Iowa. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Buffalo compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Buffalo2.4543.38.0%9.9%4.7%1979$80131.1%95.5%3.6%
Andalusia2.1750.88.6%9.1%3.6%1969$98617.7%97.0%1.5%
Blue Grass2.3247.47.4%11.3%4.7%1979$90530.7%96.0%3.6%
Taylor Ridge2.4640.710.6%10.1%5.0%1968$86920.9%97.2%1.7%
Montpelier1.9657.96.9%9.0%3.3%1973$1,34241.1%93.9%3.9%
Milan2.0842.49.3%22.5%7.3%1971$82223.2%91.0%4.3%
Rock Island2.2739.515.2%34.9%7.9%1952$91525.7%91.5%6.6%
New Era2.0558.66.2%6.5%7.2%1972$1,33242.1%92.5%3.3%
Oak Grove2.4940.27.3%4.1%11.1%1980$84529.0%97.0%3.9%
Reynolds2.6339.012.2%15.9%6.0%1961$90817.4%96.1%4.1%
Davenport2.3238.212.7%36.6%8.5%1964$1,10729.8%91.7%4.5%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: North Hartsville, SC · Mount Olivet, KY · Cando, ND · Vander, NC · Turners Station, KY · Cheltenham, MD · Columbia, VA · Tiltonsville, OH · Muldraugh, KY · New York, TX

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Buffalo. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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