Population

Buffalo

276,397

Lansing

112,546

Median Income

Buffalo

$48,050

Lansing

$52,170

Home Value

Buffalo

$152,300

Lansing

$119,400

Rent

Buffalo

$989

Lansing

$976

Crime Rate

Buffalo

7.07

Lansing

6.67

Cost of Living

Buffalo

86.7

Lansing

88.9

Avg Temp

Buffalo

N/A

Lansing

N/A

Unemployment

Buffalo

7.2%

Lansing

8.1%

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How Similar Are Buffalo & Lansing?

Lansing is Buffalo's #8 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Buffalo

276,397

vs

Lansing

112,546

Different · 59% difference

Buffalo (276,397) is about 2.5x larger than Lansing (112,546).

Violent Crime

Buffalo

7.07

vs

Lansing

6.67

Match · 6% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Buffalo

38.10

vs

Lansing

45.80

Different · 17% difference

Lansing has a 17% higher property crime than Buffalo.

Political Leaning

Buffalo

45.2%

vs

Lansing

50.8%

Different · 11% difference
🗳️

Buffalo leans Democratic while Lansing leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Buffalo

7.2%

vs

Lansing

8.1%

Different · 11% difference

Lansing has a 11% higher unemployment than Buffalo.

Median Income

Buffalo

$48,050

vs

Lansing

$52,170

Match · 8% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Buffalo

$152,300

vs

Lansing

$119,400

Different · 22% difference

Buffalo has a 22% higher home values than Lansing.

Education

Buffalo

20.2%

vs

Lansing

19.6%

Match · 3% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Buffalo

45.4%

vs

Lansing

56.1%

Different · 19% difference

Lansing has a 19% higher demographics than Buffalo.

Cost of Living

Buffalo

86.7

vs

Lansing

88.9

Match · 2% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Buffalo and Lansing share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Buffalo

vsof 8

0

Lansing

Cost of Living & Affordability — Buffalo leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Lansing has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,012 vs $1,139 in Buffalo (13% lower). Lansing has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,268 vs $1,343 in Buffalo (6% lower). Buffalo scores 73.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.1 in Lansing.

Overall Cost Index

Buffalo86.7
Lansing88.9

Housing Index

Buffalo96.0
Lansing94.9

Food Index

Buffalo86.7
Lansing89.9

Transportation Index

Buffalo73.5
Lansing78.1

Healthcare Index

Buffalo89.4
Lansing91.9

Utilities Index

Buffalo91.2
Lansing92.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Buffalo$38,156
Lansing$39,097

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Buffalo$90,188
Lansing$92,410

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Buffalo$1,139
Lansing$1,012

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Buffalo$1,343
Lansing$1,268

Housing Market — Lansing leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lansing has a vacancy rate of 8.1% compared to 12.4% in Buffalo. Lansing has a single-family homes of 67.2% compared to 39.5% in Buffalo. Buffalo has a median property tax of $1,625 vs $2,574 in Lansing (37% lower).

Median Home Value

Buffalo$152,300
Lansing$119,400

Median Rent

Buffalo$989
Lansing$976

Median Property Tax

Buffalo$1,625
Lansing$2,574

Owner-Occupied

Buffalo42.7%
Lansing53.9%

Vacancy Rate

Buffalo12.4%
Lansing8.1%

Single-Family Homes

Buffalo39.5%
Lansing67.2%

Jobs & Economy — Lansing leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Buffalo: 132,325 vs Lansing: 61,151 for labor force. Lansing has a poverty rate of 19.9% compared to 27.4% in Buffalo. Lansing has a work from home of 13.2% compared to 9.6% in Buffalo.

Median Household Income

Buffalo$48,050
Lansing$52,170

Per Capita Income

Buffalo$30,995
Lansing$29,894

Poverty Rate

Buffalo27.4%
Lansing19.9%

Unemployment Rate

Buffalo7.2%
Lansing8.1%

Labor Force

Buffalo132,325
Lansing61,151

Mean Commute

BuffaloN/A
Lansing17 min

Work from Home

Buffalo9.6%
Lansing13.2%

Private Sector

Buffalo82.0%
Lansing85.3%

Government Sector

Buffalo38.4%
Lansing40.1%

Crime & Safety — Buffalo leads

Source: FBI UCR

Lansing has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.76 compared to 1.58 in Buffalo. Buffalo has a property crime clearance of 10.0% compared to 4.9% in Lansing. Buffalo has a violent crime clearance of 39.3% compared to 26.4% in Lansing.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo7.07
Lansing6.67

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo38.10
Lansing45.80

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo0.12
Lansing0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo1.58
Lansing0.76

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo4.92
Lansing4.91

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo4.38
Lansing4.66

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Buffalo25.73
Lansing34.98

Violent Crime Clearance

Buffalo39.3%
Lansing26.4%

Property Crime Clearance

Buffalo10.0%
Lansing4.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Avg Annual High

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Avg Annual Low

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Sunny Days per Year

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Annual Rainfall

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Annual Snowfall

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Avg Humidity

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Schools & Education — Buffalo leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Buffalo has a high school diploma or higher of 38.3% compared to 36.2% in Lansing. Buffalo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.2% compared to 19.6% in Lansing.

Public Schools

Buffalo0
Lansing0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BuffaloN/A
LansingN/A

Colleges & Universities

Buffalo0
Lansing0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Buffalo20.2%
Lansing19.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

Buffalo38.3%
Lansing36.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Buffalo has a population of 276,397, about 2.5x the size of Lansing (112,546).

Population

Buffalo276,397
Lansing112,546

Median Age

Buffalo34
Lansing34

Avg Household Size

Buffalo2.2
Lansing2.2

Married Population

Buffalo25.3%
Lansing28.9%

Foreign Born

Buffalo10.5%
Lansing10.1%

White

Buffalo45.4%
Lansing56.1%

Black

Buffalo32.9%
Lansing23.4%

Hispanic

Buffalo12.7%
Lansing12.9%

Asian

Buffalo8.2%
Lansing5.3%

Buffalo

Lansing

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Lansing: 4 vs Buffalo: 3 for with emergency services. Buffalo: 2.7 vs Lansing: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Buffalo5
Lansing5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Buffalo2.7
Lansing2.5

With Emergency Services

Buffalo3
Lansing4

Transportation & Commute — Lansing leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Buffalo has a public transit of 8.5% compared to 3.3% in Lansing. Lansing has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.6% in Buffalo. Lansing has a work from home of 13.2% compared to 9.6% in Buffalo.

Mean Commute Time

BuffaloN/A
Lansing17 min

Drive Alone

Buffalo64.5%
Lansing67.3%

Public Transit

Buffalo8.5%
Lansing3.3%

Bicycle

Buffalo0.6%
Lansing0.9%

Work from Home

Buffalo9.6%
Lansing13.2%

Airports

Buffalo0
Lansing0

Cities Similar to Buffalo, NY

Compare Buffalo against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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