Buffalo’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Buffalo.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Buffalo. Some neighborhoods aren’t as great as others.
So the question arises, which Buffalo neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which Buffalo hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Buffalo area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Delaware-West Ferry ranks way above the rest.
We examined 52 of Buffalo’s neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These ten places don’t quite measure up to Buffalo’s reputation:
- Babcock
- Emerson
- Broadway-Fillmore
- First Ward
- Cold Spring
- South Ellicott
- Mlk Park
- Masten Park
- Valley
- Emslie
Read on to see how we determined the places around Buffalo that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
Once you’re done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best.
Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Buffalo.
For more reading on New York, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In New York
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- 10 Most Dangerous Places In New York
How we determined the worst Buffalo hoods
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Buffalo:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Buffalo for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a “Worst Score”.
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the worst neighborhood of Buffalo.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Buffalo to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 52 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
1. Babcock
Population: 3,614
Median Income: $25,615
Median Home Value: $30,300
2. Emerson
Population: 2,064
Median Income: $18,191
Median Home Value: $25,560
3. Broadway-Fillmore
Population: 7,761
Median Income: $18,161
Median Home Value: $30,171
4. First Ward
Population: 1,688
Median Income: $28,550
Median Home Value: $25,700
5. Cold Spring
Population: 497
Median Income: $20,836
Median Home Value: $59,850
6. South Ellicott
Population: 2,647
Median Income: $21,840
Median Home Value: $38,450
7. Mlk Park
Population: 2,709
Median Income: $18,493
Median Home Value: $28,640
8. Masten Park
Population: 3,033
Median Income: $21,763
Median Home Value: $42,933
9. Valley
Population: 672
Median Income: $28,279
Median Home Value: $48,500
10. Emslie
Population: 1,523
Median Income: $28,237
Median Home Value: $39,300
The ‘hoods around Buffalo that are really hoods
Well there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Buffalo with Babcock landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Buffalo aren’t all bad. Delaware-West Ferry takes the cake as the best place to live in Buffalo.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more New York reading , check out:
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- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In New York
- 10 Safest Places In New York According To Science
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In New York
- 10 Worst Places To Live In New York State
Detailed List Of The Worst Buffalo Neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Rank |
|---|---|
| Babcock | 1 |
| Emerson | 2 |
| Broadway-Fillmore | 3 |
| First Ward | 4 |
| Cold Spring | 5 |
| South Ellicott | 6 |
| Mlk Park | 7 |
| Masten Park | 8 |
| Valley | 9 |
| Emslie | 10 |
| Lovejoy | 11 |
| Kingsley | 12 |
| Leroy | 13 |
| Medical Park | 14 |
| Genesee Moselle | 15 |
| Squaw Island | 16 |
| Schiller Park | 17 |
| Tifft | 18 |
| Grider | 19 |
| Kenfield | 20 |
| Columbus | 21 |
| Riverside Park | 22 |
| Black Rock | 23 |
| Military | 24 |
| Lasalle | 25 |
| Hamlin Park | 26 |
| Willert Park | 27 |
| North Delaware | 28 |
| Kensington | 29 |
| South Park | 30 |
| Lakeview | 31 |
| Triangle | 32 |
| Front Park | 33 |
| Seneca | 34 |
| Kaisertown | 35 |
| Cazenovia Park | 36 |
| University | 37 |
| Delaware Park | 38 |
| Waterfront | 39 |
| Grant Ferry | 40 |
| Central Business District | 41 |
| Forest | 42 |
| North Park | 43 |
| Bryant | 44 |
| Abbott Mckinley | 45 |
| Parkside | 46 |
| Park Meadow | 47 |
| Albright | 48 |
| Starin Central | 49 |
| South Abbott | 50 |
| Allen | 51 |
| Delaware-West Ferry | 52 |
This is a ridiculous article and very biased. Not sure what you hoped to accomplish with it.
I wouldn’t think much of this list. It lacks the real issues like violent crime. It also says 600 people live on Squaw Island.
#9 is krettner street not emslie
You’re “Detailed List” is lacking alot of details.
I grew up in babcock and I can tell you it isn’t glamorous but it certainly isn’t worse than the East side or west side! No one could pay me or all my bills and rent for me to live in ether of those areas! You hear about shootings all the time in those areas! The person who wrote this is shot!
i find this a bit off because I reside in the valley have my entire life and with all that’s happening at Larkin, canalside, riverworks, riverfest, and new businesses along seneca street, plus lofts being built, new dinners, ppl improving their houses how do you rate this. Anywho ty cause my taxes will stay low as my neighborhood thrives. Dam stereotypes with your own personal opinion
Agree !!!
This is so wrong!!
I have lived in Seneca-Babcock my entire life-56 1/2 years, and will tell you, it’s one of the closest-knitted nieghborhoods in the city of Buffalo. It’s true that we lack alot, that most nieghborhoods have, but we are on a rebound. The people are the best.