CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.99° N · 78.88° W · GEOID 3675021

Tonawanda Town

Erie County, New York · part of the Buffalo, NY metro

New YorkTonawanda Town, NYTonawanda TownTonawanda Town

The short answer

Tonawanda Town is home to 56,806 people. Median household income is $77,679 a year and median rent is $1,102 a month, 17.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $215,200, about 2.8x annual median household income.

Tonawanda Town stands out on value for money. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 98 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. Also notable: The median rent takes 17% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 92% of places its size.

92OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Exceptional

Tonawanda Town scores better than 92% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 22nd of 340 in New York.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%80
Economy 20%64
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%57
Education 10%64
Commute 10%73
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,102
19% below the median place
Median household income
$77,679
3% below the median place
Median home value
$215,200
33% below the median place
Unemployment
3.5%
29% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Tonawanda Town

  • HousingThe median home costs 2.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 92% of the 530 places of 50,000 to 100,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Tonawanda Town

Erie County loses about 4.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in18,978
Moved out22,403
Net−3,425

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Niagara County, NY2,8293,468−639
Queens County, NY990313+677
Wyoming County, NY285358−73
Kings County, NY597

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$61K
Leavers$70K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Erie County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Erie County report $61,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $70,500, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$44,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,102 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,488 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $215,200.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 14.1% work from home; 1.7% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Whitehall, PA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.3%
43% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.1%
42% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-4.6
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.3%43% below
Moved from another state11.1%42% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-4.6below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$61,06613% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$70,4880% above
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 2% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 92% of the 502 places of 50,000 to 100,000 people we track.

Tonawanda Town17.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$44,080
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.0%
17% below the median place
Home price to income
2.8x
27% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$65,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Tonawanda Town, $1,102 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Tonawanda Town, but easier on the budget

Places that match Tonawanda Town on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Whitehall, PA9012.3% vs 17.0%$13,800Compare
West Mifflin, PA8812.2% vs 17.0%$2,500Compare
Endwell, NY8813.3% vs 17.0%$8,300Compare
Trenton, MI8412.8% vs 17.0%$5,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Tonawanda Town.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Tonawanda Town? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1955
1% below the median place
Property tax rate1
2.0%
124% above the median place
Vacant homes1
3.9%
45% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,10219% below
Rent to income117.0%17% below
Property tax rate12.0%124% above
Home price to income12.8x27% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.85% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,42312% below
HUD area median income4County figure$101,5005% below
Property tax paid (median)1$4,38034% above
Median home value1$215,20033% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.2%95% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure57.5%12% above
Homeownership173.1%10% above
Renters paying 30%+151.5%2% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,48821% below
Vacant homes13.9%45% below
Median year built119551% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 3.5%, 29% below the median place.

Unemployment1
3.5%
29% below the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
14% below the median place
Commutes by transit1
1.7%
102% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$44,748 +12%
Works from home14.1% +13%
Poverty rate10.0% −7%
Median household income$77,679 −3%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$77,6793% below
Income per person1$44,74812% above
Unemployment13.5%29% below
Average annual pay6County figure$69,9966% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure464,902209% above
Poverty rate110.0%7% below
Mean commute121 min14% below
Works from home114.1%13% above
Commutes by transit11.7%102% above
04

Who lives here

Households average 2.09 people, smaller than than in 96% of the 529 places of 50,000 to 100,000 people we track.

Household size1
2.1
16% below the median place
No health insurance1
2.7%
58% below the median place
High school or higher1
95.6%
4% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age42.3 +8%
Bachelor's or higher39.4% +23%
Born abroad6.4% −28%
Homes with broadband92.8% +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population156,806761st largest
Median age142.38% above
Bachelor's or higher139.4%23% above
High school or higher195.6%4% above
Household size12.116% below
Born abroad16.4%28% below
No health insurance12.7%58% below
Homes with broadband192.8%1% above
05

Life in Tonawanda Town

The nearest National Park Service site is Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, about 6 miles away.

296 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 12 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents7.2 −29%
Playgrounds per 10k12.2 +29%
Grocery stores per 10k1.4 −33%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k15.5 +39%
Libraries per 10k0.9 +1%
Named paths and bike trails34 km 17.0×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi4.2 19.8×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site 6 miles
  • Niagara Falls National Heritage Area 12 miles
  • Women's Rights National Historical Park 105 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.2 +12%
Shops32.8 +8%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.6 +12%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.6 −13%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
5.8
81% below the median place
Students per teacher12
10.8
30% below the median place
Public schools12
222
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure222above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure122,519above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure10.830% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure23.212% above
Shops per 10k8County figure32.88% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.612% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.613% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k97.229% below
Playgrounds per 10k912.229% above
Grocery stores per 10k91.433% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k915.539% above
Libraries per 10k90.91% above
Named paths and bike trails934.0above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi94.2above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site105.881% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1020% above
National Register listings11County figure296above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 80°F, 8% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Tonawanda Town. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high13
80°F
8% below the median place
Average temperature13
48°F
13% below the median place
January average low13
17°F
33% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureTonawanda TownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure80°F8% below
January average low13County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature13County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation13County figure41.6 in5% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure97.76% above
Hurricane risk14County figure71.31% above
Tornado risk14County figure95.417% above
Wildfire risk14County figure62.62% above
Heat wave risk14County figure95.46% above
Median air quality index15County figure442% above
Good air days15County figure63.8%7% below
08

Tonawanda Town in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Tonawanda Town does better than 78% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 73%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,102/mo (2024)$1,420/mo$1,160 to $1,730/mo+4.3%
Median household income$77,679 (2024)$99,000$83,500 to $117,000+4.1%
Median home value$215,200 (2024)$314,000$228,000 to $432,000+6.5%

The median home would be worth 3.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Tonawanda Town

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Ellsworth, ME$1,017$77,375Compare
Irondequoit, NY$1,159$79,162Compare
Affton, MO$1,015$79,539Compare
Comstock Northwest, MI$1,080$73,475Compare
Comstock Northwest, MIAffton, MOIrondequoit, NYEllsworth, METonawanda Town, NYTonawanda TownEllsworthAfftonComstock NorthwestEllsworthAfftonComstock Northwest

Places built like Tonawanda Town

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Tonawanda Town performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Tonawanda Town, NY17.0%5.5%/yrn/a
Irondequoit, NY17.6%4.9%/yrn/aCompare
Cheektowaga, NY18.5%4.9%/yrn/aCompare
North Tonawanda, NY16.7%2.8%/yr-2.3%Compare
West Seneca, NY16.7%3.3%/yrn/aCompare
Rotterdam, NY17.9%5.5%/yrn/aCompare
Baldwin, PA15.8%4.4%/yr-4.7%Compare

Common questions

Is Tonawanda Town a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 92 out of 100, better than 92% of the places we rate and 22nd of 340 in New York. The median home costs 2.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 92% of the 530 places of 50,000 to 100,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 68 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Tonawanda Town expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $215,200.

What salary do you need to live in Tonawanda Town?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $44,080 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Tonawanda Town?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Ellsworth, ME, Irondequoit, NY, Affton, MO and Comstock Northwest, MI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Tonawanda Town with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Tonawanda Town itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/tonawanda-town-new-york

Citytistics. “Tonawanda Town, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/tonawanda-town-new-york/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.