Buffalo, NY
Erie County · New York · United States
Home to 22,566 people across 3.203 square miles.
At a glance
14217 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.
Location
Where 14217 is
| Coordinates | 42.971927, -78.876759 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Erie County |
| State | New York (NY) |
| Land area | 3.203 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Philadelphia, PA | 283.6 mi |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | 295.3 mi |
| Boston, MA | 399.3 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 452.6 mi |
People
Who lives in 14217
22,566 residents in 10,855 households, averaging 2.08 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 18.2% of residents, and 41.9% of households are a single person living alone.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 10,855 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.08 |
| Family households | 47.3% |
| Living alone | 41.9% |
| Median age | 41.4 years |
| Households with internet | 91.5% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 14217
The median household here earns $72,205 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 14217 ahead of 54% of American ZIP codes. 11.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $72,205 ±$6,638 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $41,666 |
| Poverty rate | 11.1% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% |
| Labor force participation | 68.5% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 41.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 95.1% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 14217
A typical home is valued at $193,200, and median rent runs $970 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 67.1% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1945.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $193,200 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $970/mo |
| Median year built | 1945 |
| Housing units | 11,280 |
| Vacancy rate | 3.8% |
Own vs. rent
Of 10,855 occupied units
| Owner households | 7,283 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 3,572 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 14217 commutes
72.6% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 20.7 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 20.7 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 14217
ZIP code 14217 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 22,566 people live inside it.
At 7,045 residents per square mile spread over 3.203 square miles, 14217 reads as a densely built-up 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 track close to the national picture. The median of $72,205 puts 14217 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 54% 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 14217 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $193,200 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $970 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 67.1% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 62.4% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1945, making the housing here mid-century. At 3.8%, vacancy is low — housing here is tightly held.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 41.4 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.08 people, and 47.3% are family households.
Getting to work takes 20.7 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 72.6% of workers, while 12.6% work from home. 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 is a built-up area, so you will generally find a mix of chain hotels near the main approach roads and a smaller number of independent properties closer to the centre. Staying in 14217 itself often costs less than an equivalent room in the nearest downtown while keeping you close to it.
Median rent in 14217 is $970 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 283.6 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.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 14217 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 14217 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, 14217 offers a compact profile of Buffalo: 22,566 residents, a median household income of $72,205, 41.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 5.5%. 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. 14217 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 14217
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 14217
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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 14217. 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).