These Are The 10 Worst Buffalo Neighborhoods For 2018


We used science and data to determine which Buffalo neighborhoods are the real pits.

Nick James, RoadSnacks
March 16, 2018 - 60,610 views
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This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.
Worst Neighborhoods In Buffalo
Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

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 places don’t quite measure up to Buffalo’s reputation.

Here are the 10 worst neighborhoods in Buffalo according to data:

  1. Babcock
  2. Emerson
  3. Broadway-Fillmore
  4. First Ward
  5. Cold Spring
  6. South Ellicott
  7. Mlk Park
  8. Masten Park
  9. Valley
  10. 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:

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:

Detailed List Of The Worst Buffalo Neighborhoods

Rank Neighborhood Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Babcock 3,614 $25,615 $30,300
2 Emerson 2,064 $18,191 $25,560
3 Broadway-Fillmore 7,761 $18,161 $30,171
4 First Ward 1,688 $28,550 $25,700
5 Cold Spring 497 $20,836 $59,850
6 South Ellicott 2,647 $21,840 $38,450
7 Mlk Park 2,709 $18,493 $28,640
8 Masten Park 3,033 $21,763 $42,933
9 Valley 672 $28,279 $48,500
10 Emslie 1,523 $28,237 $39,300
11 Lovejoy 7,540 $24,569 $37,245
12 Kingsley 3,251 $22,062 $30,275
13 Leroy 5,095 $21,817 $52,533
14 Medical Park 1,588 $23,039 $39,025
15 Genesee Moselle 4,171 $25,676 $41,720
16 Squaw Island 615 $26,056 $52,950
17 Schiller Park 10,330 $23,176 $38,700
18 Tifft 1,293 $31,383 $48,867
19 Grider 4,982 $29,507 $36,138
20 Kenfield 7,113 $27,486 $46,714
21 Columbus 2,761 $22,290 $87,700
22 Riverside Park 11,025 $24,803 $50,586
23 Black Rock 6,208 $30,926 $58,255
24 Military 4,588 $29,445 $58,483
25 Lasalle 8,996 $30,254 $54,171
26 Hamlin Park 6,179 $29,618 $51,633
27 Willert Park 5,169 $26,874 $76,133
28 North Delaware 2,196 $44,204 $89,125
29 Kensington 10,051 $33,152 $53,300
30 South Park 6,502 $42,772 $60,571
31 Lakeview 4,017 $22,692 $119,900
32 Triangle 3,885 $30,112 $59,650
33 Front Park 11,766 $27,416 $105,406
34 Seneca 3,030 $33,256 $66,075
35 Kaisertown 5,615 $39,555 $67,083
36 Cazenovia Park 4,692 $45,035 $62,880
37 University 5,462 $45,647 $75,738
38 Delaware Park 1,669 $37,308 $162,750
39 Waterfront 972 $44,571 $301,000
40 Grant Ferry 7,130 $36,000 $94,747
41 Central Business District 1,527 $43,676 $300,000
42 Forest 10,833 $42,163 $101,936
43 North Park 14,717 $52,349 $132,100
44 Bryant 6,221 $36,549 $170,462
45 Abbott Mckinley 7,231 $47,132 $84,788
46 Parkside 2,435 $55,414 $175,875
47 Park Meadow 3,468 $59,205 $228,850
48 Albright 2,992 $59,719 $233,300
49 Starin Central 5,452 $61,242 $152,900
50 South Abbott 3,762 $68,147 $104,920
51 Allen 3,383 $40,388 $230,725
52 Delaware-West Ferry 5,940 $45,747 $182,557

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11 thoughts on “These Are The 10 Worst Buffalo Neighborhoods For 2018”

    1. 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.

      Reply

  4. 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!

    Reply

  5. 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

    Reply

  7. 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.

    Reply

  8. This article is very concerning for many reasons, but the poor language choices and lack of understanding of Buffalo’s clearly shown historical redlining of the city are the biggest offenders.

    Reply

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