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Cost of living, pay and housing

43.31° N · 78.83° W · GEOID 3682359

Wilson

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

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

New YorkWilson, NYWilsonWilson

The short answer

Wilson is home to 1,379 people. Median household income is $60,639 a year and median rent is $768 a month, 15.2% 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 $172,700, about 2.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$768
44% below the median place
Median household income
$60,639
24% below the median place
Median home value
$172,700
46% below the median place
Unemployment
7.4%
51% above 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 Wilson

  • 2% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 97% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 327 New York places.
  • Half the homes were built before 1942, older housing than in 96% of places its size.
  • Public schools here have 9.6 students per teacher, fewer than in 96% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 0.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 94% of places its size.
  • Median rent is $768 a month, lower than in 91% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 83 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Wilson

Niagara County loses about 0.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,170
Moved out6,249
Net−79

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Erie County, NY3,4682,829+639
Orleans County, NY149225−76
Monroe County, NY135166−31
Genesee County, NY5565−10
Cattaraugus County, NY4555−10
Queens County, NY70
Kings County, NY49
Maricopa County, AZ43

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$57K

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

Who moves here
4.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.8% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Niagara County report $57,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $57,200.
Income you would need
$30,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $768 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,383 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $172,700.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 18.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Georgetown, SC matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.8%
60% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$57,209
19% below the median place
Income of households moving in8
$57,875
18% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.2%27% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.8%60% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-0.517% above
Income of households moving in8County figure$57,87518% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$57,20919% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median year built is 1942, 2% below the median place.

Wilson15.2%
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
$30,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.2%
25% below the median place
Home price to income
2.9x
25% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Wilson, $768 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Wilson? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1942
2% below the median place
Property tax rate1
2.3%
155% above the median place
Median home value1
$172,700
46% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$76844% below
Rent to income115.2%25% below
Property tax rate12.3%155% above
Home price to income12.9x25% 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$4,00023% above
Median home value1$172,70046% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.6%107% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure59.2%15% above
Homeownership181.8%23% above
Renters paying 30%+146.8%8% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,38326% below
Vacant homes1County figure8.5%21% above
Median year built119422% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
23.2%
115% above the median place
Unemployment1
7.4%
51% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$60,639 −24%
Works from home18.3% +47%
Income per person$35,445 −12%
Mean commute27 min +8%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$60,63924% below
Income per person1$35,44512% below
Unemployment17.4%51% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,58811% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.2%41% above
Jobs6County figure68,61754% below
Poverty rate123.2%115% above
Mean commute127 min8% above
Works from home118.3%47% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 1.5%, 83% below the median place.

Born abroad1
1.5%
83% below the median place
Median age1
46.7
20% above the median place
High school or higher1
97.2%
5% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.1 −14%
Bachelor's or higher22.5% −30%
Homes with broadband92.0% −0%
All 9 people measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,3796646th largest
Population change since 20207-2.6%below (median 1.1%)
Median age146.720% above
Bachelor's or higher122.5%30% below
High school or higher197.2%5% above
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad11.5%83% below
No health insurance1County figure2.9%55% below
Homes with broadband192.0%0% below
05

Life in Wilson

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

  • Morse Cobblestone Farmhouse listed 2010

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents14.5 +43%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k7.3 8.3×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.6 +4%
Shops34.3 +13%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.3 +5%
Doctors' offices and clinics14.2 −30%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

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

Students per teacher12
9.6
38% below the median place
Public schools12
2
78% below the median place
Public school students12
970
80% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12278% below
Public school students1297080% below
Students per teacher129.638% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.64% above
Shops per 10k9County figure34.313% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.35% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure14.230% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.630% below
Parks per 10k1014.543% above
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k107.3above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 92.9%, 36% above 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 Wilson. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
92.9%
36% above the median place
Median air quality index15
34
21% below the median place
July average high13
81°F
7% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWilsonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure81°F7% below
January average low13County figure19°F27% below
Average temperature13County figure49°F11% below
Annual precipitation13County figure35.1 in20% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure83.410% below
Hurricane risk14County figure57.219% below
Tornado risk14County figure52.436% below
Wildfire risk14County figure33.845% below
Heat wave risk14County figure58.635% below
Median air quality index15County figure3421% below
Good air days15County figure92.9%36% above
08

Wilson in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 15% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$768/mo (2024)$980/mo$800 to $1,190/mo+4.1%
Median household income$60,639 (2024)$76,000$64,000 to $89,500+3.8%
Median home value$172,700 (2024)$251,000$182,000 to $346,000+6.4%
Population1,210 (2025)1,2001,150 to 1,250−0.1%

The median home would be worth 3.3 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 Wilson

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

PlaceRentIncome
Georgetown, SC$780$56,981Compare
Macon, MO$680$61,642Compare
Weirton, WV$746$59,575Compare
Manistee, MI$768$60,541Compare
Manistee, MIWeirton, WVMacon, MOGeorgetown, SCWilson, NYWilsonGeorgetownMaconWeirtonManisteeWilsonGeorgetownMaconWeirtonManistee

Common questions

Is Wilson a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 2% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 97% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 327 New York places. Half the homes were built before 1942, older housing than in 96% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 75 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Wilson expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.2% 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 $172,700.

What salary do you need to live in Wilson?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $30,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Wilson?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Georgetown, SC, Macon, MO, Weirton, WV and Manistee, 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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 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 Wilson with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Wilson itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/wilson-new-york

Citytistics. “Wilson, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/wilson-new-york/

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