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ZIP Code14201

Buffalo, NY

Erie County · New York · United States
Home to 12,545 people across 1.101 square miles.

EasternTop 5% densityRenter-majority87 ZIPs in county

At a glance

14201 by the numbers

Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.

Population
13k
±1,120 · 74th pctile nationally
Median household income
$34,204
US median $70,109 · bottom 10%
Median home value
$327,900
US median $207,500 · 74th pctile
Median age
33.8
US median 42 years
Population density
11k/mi²
top 5% most dense
Land area
1.101 mi²
plus 0.068 mi² water

Location

Where 14201 is

42.89763, -78.887897 · Census ZCTA internal pointOpen larger map →
Coordinates42.89763, -78.887897
Time zoneAmerica/New_York
CountyErie County
StateNew York (NY)
Land area1.101 mi²
Coordinate sourceCensus ZCTA internal point

Local time

America/New_York

—:—:—

Current weather

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Distance to major cities

Straight-line, computed from coordinates

Philadelphia, PA280.3 mi
New York, NY293.2 mi
Boston, MA399.6 mi
Chicago, IL451.4 mi

People

Who lives in 14201

12,545 residents in 5,954 households, averaging 2.11 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 20.9% of residents, and 47.8% of households are a single person living alone.

Age distribution

Share of residents by age band

Under 1820.9%
18-2410.9%
25-3420.0%
35-4416.2%
45-548.4%
55-6411.2%
65+12.5%

Households

Composition and size

Total households5,954
Average household size2.11
Family households35.2%
Living alone47.8%
Median age33.8 years
Households with internet85.9%

Race & ethnicity

Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.

White46.7%
Black17.2%
Asian1.6%
Native American1.3%
Other20.8%
Two or more12.5%
Hispanic / Latino36.4%

Income & work

What people earn in 14201

The median household here earns $34,204 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 14201 ahead of 3% of American ZIP codes. 44.6% of residents live below the poverty line.

Compared to the US

This ZIP against the national median

Median household income$34,204
LowestHighest
Higher than 3% of all US ZIP codes.
Median household income$34,204 ±$3,057
Per capita income$29,382
Poverty rate44.6%
Unemployment rate8.3%
Labor force participation56.9%

Household income distribution

Share of households in each bracket

<$25k37.2%
$25-50k24.2%
$50-75k14.6%
$75-100k7.4%
$100-150k7.5%
$150-200k2.7%
$200k+6.4%

Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 39.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 84.3% finished high school.

Housing

Homes and rent in 14201

A typical home is valued at $327,900, and median rent runs $953 a month. This is a renter-majority area — 79.8% of occupied homes are rented, and the typical building went up in 1938.

Costs

Typical values

Median home value$327,900
Median gross rent$953/mo
Median year built1938
Housing units7,172
Vacancy rate17.0%

Own vs. rent

Of 5,954 occupied units

Owner-occupied20.2%
Renter-occupied79.8%
Owner households1,200
Renter households4,754

Building types

Units by structure size

Single family21.7%
2-4 units40.7%
5-19 units20.7%
20+ units17.0%

Getting to work

How 14201 commutes

58.9% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 22.9 minutes.

Mode of transport

Workers 16 and older

Drove alone58.9%
Carpooled10.1%
Public transit10.4%
Walked6.7%
Bike0.8%
Worked from home9.8%

Travel time

Mean commute 22.9 minutes

<10 min21.0%
10-1933.6%
20-2919.3%
30-4416.7%
45-594.3%
60+5.1%

Overview

Understanding ZIP code 14201

ZIP code 14201 is assigned to Buffalo, NY, and falls within Erie County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 12,545 people live inside it.

At 11,394 residents per square mile spread over 1.101 square miles, 14201 reads as a dense urban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.

Household earnings are well below the national median. At $34,204, 14201 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 3% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.

Living here

What life in Buffalo looks like

Housing in 14201 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $327,900 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $953 a month. This is firmly renter territory — 79.8% of occupied homes are rented, a pattern typical of city centres, student areas and neighbourhoods with a lot of apartment stock.

The building stock is dominated by small multi-family buildings of two to four units, which account for 40.7% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1938, making the housing here largely pre-war.

The population skews younger than the country as a whole, with a median age of 33.8 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.11 people, and 35.2% are family households.

Getting to work takes 22.9 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 58.9% of workers, while 10.4% take public transit. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Buffalo, NY

Buffalo sits in a densely built environment, and accommodation in and around 14201 tends to reflect that — full-service hotels, boutique properties and serviced apartments packed close together, usually within walking distance of transit. Rates in dense urban codes move sharply with the calendar: midweek business demand and weekend leisure demand can price very differently.

Median rent in 14201 is $953 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Philadelphia, PA is about 280.3 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.

Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.

Book a Hotel →

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Practical uses

What ZIP code 14201 is used for

Beyond addressing mail, 14201 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.

For anyone weighing a move, 14201 offers a compact profile of Buffalo: 12,545 residents, a median household income of $34,204, 39.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 8.3%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.

One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 14201 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Buffalo may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.

Nearby

ZIP codes near 14201

The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every New York ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.

Other ZIP codes in Buffalo

Buffalo is served by 44 postal codes.

More in Erie County

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Questions

Common questions about 14201

What city is ZIP code 14201 in?
14201 serves Buffalo, New York, in Erie County, United States.
What is the population of 14201?
About 12,545 people live in ZIP code 14201, according to the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The margin of error on that figure is ±1,120. That works out to roughly 11,394 people per square mile.
What is the average income in 14201?
The median household income in 14201 is $34,204 per year, compared with a US median of $70,109. Per capita income is $29,382. Median income is more representative than an average because it isn't skewed by a small number of very high earners.
How expensive is housing in 14201?
The median home value is $327,900 and median gross rent is $953 a month. 20.2% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Is 14201 a good place to live?
That depends on what you're looking for, but here are the facts: 39.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the unemployment rate is 8.3%, and the median age is 33.8. The average commute is 22.9 minutes. We publish the numbers and let you weigh them.
What time zone is 14201 in?
14201 observes Eastern Time (America/New_York). This zone observes daylight saving time.
How big is ZIP code 14201?
ZIP code 14201 covers 1.101 square miles of land plus 0.068 square miles of water, per the US Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files.
Is 14201 urban, suburban or rural?
By population density, 14201 reads as a dense urban area. It holds 11,394 people per square mile across 1.101 square miles of land. For reference, densities above 10,000 per square mile generally indicate an urban core, 1,000–3,000 is typically suburban, and under 200 is rural. These are rules of thumb rather than official designations — the Census Bureau classifies urban and rural areas by census block, not by ZIP code.
How much is rent in 14201?
Median gross rent in 14201 is $953 a month, according to the American Community Survey. Gross rent includes contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels, so it is closer to what a tenant actually pays than a headline rent figure. Of 5,954 occupied homes here, 4,754 are rented.
What is the commute like from 14201?
The average one-way commute from 14201 takes about 22.9 minutes. The most common way to travel is drove alone, used by 58.9% of workers aged 16 and over. Commute figures cover people who were employed and working outside the home during the survey period.
How many people work in 14201?
About 5,261 residents of 14201 are employed. Labor force participation stands at 56.9% and the unemployment rate is 8.3%. Note this counts residents by where they live, not by where they work — a ZIP with many offices can have far more jobs than employed residents.
Where should I stay when visiting 14201?
Accommodation in and around Buffalo, NY ranges with the character of the area. See the 'Where to stay' section on this page for local context, and use the live search there for current availability and pricing.
Does 14201 cover more than one city or county?
This page lists Buffalo as the primary place and Erie County as the county. ZIP codes follow mail delivery routes rather than municipal or county lines, so a single code can straddle boundaries, and USPS also recognises alternate acceptable city names for many codes. If you need the definitive answer for a specific street address, the USPS ZIP Code Lookup is the authority.
Can ZIP code 14201 change?
Yes. USPS adjusts ZIP codes as delivery volumes shift — codes are occasionally split, merged, retired or newly created, and boundaries move more often than most people assume. The Census Bureau's ZCTA definitions, which underpin the demographic figures on this page, are redrawn only once a decade, so the two can drift apart between censuses.

Methodology

Where this data comes from

  • Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
  • Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 14201. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
  • Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
  • Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
  • Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
On accuracy. ACS figures are survey estimates, not counts. The margin of error shown alongside the population figure means the true value has a 90% chance of falling in that range. For small ZIP codes the error can be large relative to the estimate — treat the direction as more reliable than the exact number. This page reports data for ZCTA 14201, the Census approximation of the USPS delivery area.