Buffalo has the oldest housing stock in the nation, with the largest percentage (67%) of homes built before 1940. In Erie County in 2013 there were 275 cases of elevated lead levels in children. The City of Buffalo has three of five zip codes in state with worst lead poisoning levels and accounts for roughly 95% of county lead cases. As of 2008, 13%-22% of children in the City suffered from asthma. In 2006, the City received 7,460 calls regarding housing violations and 1,612 regarding violations at vacant houses

Masson, Marc J

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12-2014 
Vacant and Abandoned Housing in Buffalo 
Marc J. Masson 
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Vacant and Abandoned Housing in Buffalo 
Abstract 
Buffalo has the oldest housing stock in the nation, with the largest percentage (67%) of homes built 
before 1940. In Erie County in 2013 there were 275 cases of elevated lead levels in children. The City of 
Buffalo has three of five zip codes in state with worst lead poisoning levels and accounts for roughly 95% 
of county lead cases. As of 2008, 13%-22% of children in the City suffered from asthma. In 2006, the City 
received 7,460 calls regarding housing violations and 1,612 regarding violations at vacant houses. 
Keywords 
Buffalo, Housing/Neighborhoods, Data/Demographics/History, Demographics and Data, General, Fact 
Sheet, PPG, PDF 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/buffalocommons/280 
 1 
 
BUFFALO BRIEF                                                                            December 2014 
 
 
 
Vacant and Abandoned Housing in Buffalo 
Marc J. Masson 
 
 
Housing Occupancy Status in Buffalo, NY (2010 US Census)1 
 
OCCUPANCY STATUS Number Percent  National 
Average 
  Total housing units 133,444 100.0% 100.0% 
    Occupied housing units 112,536 84.3% 88.6% 
    Vacant housing units 20,908 15.7% 11.4% 
        
TENURE      
  Owner occupied 45,836 40.7% 65.1% 
    Owned with a mortgage or loan 28,909 25.7% 45.4% 
    Owned free and clear 16,927 15.0% 19.7% 
  Renter occupied 66,700 59.3% 34.9% 
        
VACANCY STATUS       
  For rent 7,511 35.9% 27.6% 
  Rented, not occupied 291 1.4% 1.4% 
  For sale only 1,007 4.8% 12.7% 
  Sold, not occupied 504 2.4% 2.8% 
  For seasonal, recreational or 
occasional use 
399 1.9% 31.0% 
  For migratory workers 1 0.0% 0.2% 
  Other vacant 11,195 53.5% 24.4% 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
2 
 
Scope – The City of Buffalo’s Abandoned Housing Crisis 
 
 According to the 2010 Census, the City of Buffalo had a vacancy rate of 15.7%, the ninth 
highest rate in the nation for cities with populations over 250,000. 
 
Percentage of housing units vacant in City of Buffalo, as measured by the Census (this includes units vacant for 
any reason; not just abandoned units):2 
 
Year Vacancy Rate 
1970  4.9% 
1980 9.9% 
1990 10.2% 
2000 15.7%   
2010  15.7% 
 
 The number of undeliverable addresses measured by the Postal Service in Buffalo rose from 
15,651 to 20,692 from the fourth quarter of 2005 to the third quarter of 2010.3  
 
 In 2000, the City estimated 10,170 vacant lots and 8,684 abandoned structures.4  By April 
2010, 15,897 lots were listed as vacant in the City’s database.5 
 
 The City of Buffalo, as of June 2014, owns nearly 7,000 properties, including 300 
residential structures and 14 commercial or former public use structures. The rest, nearly 
94%, are city-owned vacant lots.6 
 
 
Costs 
 
 In 2007, the City conservatively estimated its direct five-year costs from a vacant residence 
at $20,060.7   
 
 In 2006, 250 of 399 arsons were in vacant buildings.8   
 
 Over the period 2000 through 2013, the City demolished an average of 458 buildings per 
year, or a total of 6,411 buildings.  By 2013, the median price for a demolition was $16,989.  
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
3 
 
City of Buffalo Demolition Spending9 
 
Year Buildings 
Demolished 
Percent Emergency 
Demolitions 
Median Price Total 
Spending 
(in millions) 
2000 493 36% $5,000 $3.5  
2001 639 23% $5,090 $3.84  
2002 336 28% $4,823 $2.1  
2003 418 27% $5,700 $2.85 
2004 315 33% $7,785 $2.55  
2005 399 33% $8,794 $4.85  
2006 426 40% $9,800 $5.8  
2007 378 54% $12,904 $6.0  
2008 653 32% $13,700 $12.5  
2009 773 45% $15,600 $12.9  
2010 616 28% $15,474 $10.1  
2011 320 49% $16,799 $5.7  
2012 351 22.5% $19,457 $6.82 
2013 294 28.2% $16,989 $4.99 
 
 From January 1st to July 1st, 2014, the City of Buffalo recorded $5.25 million in demolition 
spending, far exceeding that the previous year in only half the time, with 231 demolitions 
completed or pending (14% emergency). The median cost of a demolition stood at $22,734. 
 
 
Causes of Vacancy and Abandonment 
 
Urban Population loss 
Due to suburban sprawl combined with regional population loss, the City lost over half of its 
population between 1950 and 2010. 
 
City of Buffalo Population10 
1950 580,132 
2000 292,648 
2010 261,310 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
4 
 
Sprawl11  
 Between 1950 and 2010, the population of Erie County outside of Buffalo grew from 
319,106 to 657,730. 
 
 Between 1990 and 2000, the number of housing units in Erie County outside of Buffalo 
grew by 20,134, even as the County’s population declined by 18,319. 12 
 
 Between 2000 and 2010 the number of occupied households in Erie County grew from 
380,873 to 383,164 while the Erie County and City of Buffalo populations declined from 
950,265 to 919,040 and from 292,648 to 261,310, respectively. 
 
 
Urban Poverty13 
Poverty Rate in the City of Buffalo, Measured by the US Census 
Year Poverty Rate 
1999 26.6% 
-- -- 
2009 28.8% 
2010 30.2% 
2011 30.3% 
2012 30.9% 
2013   29.9%14 
 
 
Housing Unaffordability 
 Energy costs in western New York are 30% over national average.15 
 
 In Erie County an estimated 5,681 people experienced homelessness at some point in 2012, 
an increase from 5,050 the previous year.16 
 
 In 2012, the percentage of households with rents above the affordability threshold (30% of 
income) was 47.5% in Erie County and 46.2% in Niagara County, a large increase from 
43.2% and 39.2% respectively in 2000.17 
 
 In 2012, the percentage of households with owner costs above the affordability threshold 
was 22.0% in Erie County and 22.5% in Niagara County, a slight increase from 21.4% and 
20.0% respectively in 2000.18 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
5 
 
Inequality 
 Buffalo-Niagara is the 5th most racially segregated large metropolitan area in the U.S.19 
 
 Blacks and Hispanics have much higher rates of poverty than other racial groups in the 
metro area. 2010 metro poverty rates: white 8.8%; black 28.8%; Asian/Pacific Islander 
12.8%; Hispanic 25.8%.20  
 
 The Buffalo-Niagara metro area ranked in the top ten for increase in income segregation in 
last decade21, and in 2014 was ranked 7th most segregated by income.22 
 
 
Mortgage Foreclosures 
 
Source: Western New York Law Center23 
*In New York State, to initiate a mortgage foreclosure, a lender must file a “lis pendens” with the court.  “Lis pendens” is Latin for suit 
pending. Mortgage foreclosures were unusually low in 2011 due to a change in state law which delayed many foreclosures.   
 
 Mortgage foreclosures in the City of Buffalo rose nearly four-fold from 1990 to 2000, 
reaching nearly 800.24  
 
 From 2008 through 2013, there were 9,911 lis pendens filings in Erie County.25 
 
 In 2013, the city of Buffalo was 33.3% or 793 of the total filings in Erie County, down from 
45% in 2006. 
 
 From January 1 through June 23, 2014, there were 1111 lis pendens filed in the county. The 
numbers for 2014 are on track to be similar to 2013, in which the total was 2380. 
 
 Unfinished foreclosures are a major problem.  In these cases, lenders begin foreclosures but 
do not finish them, often because they have concluded that their costs will outweigh the 
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Total Erie County Mortgage Foreclosure  
Lis Pendens Filings by Year* 
Total FC Filings
   
 
 
 
6 
 
revenue they can gain from a foreclosure sale.  In many cases, the owners have moved out 
and do not reoccupy, leaving the properties abandoned and in limbo.  Of the nearly 1,700 
foreclosures filed in Erie County in 2012, as of summer 2014 1,005 of them were unfinished 
– i.e., with no deed transfer.  Of these 1,005 cases, 190 had judgments of foreclosure.  Of the 
815 cases without a judgment, 228 had no RJI filed, meaning that they did not have access 
to a settlement conference.26 
 
 
Subprime Loans 
 One out of four foreclosures in Erie County in 2007-2008 was subprime.27 
 
 In 2005-2006, Erie County had 6,323 subprime loans, or 22.5% of all its loans.28 
 
 In 2008 there were 9,080 subprime loans in western New York, of which 22% were overdue 
but not in foreclosure, 5.5% were in foreclosure, and 1.9% had already been foreclosed.29 
 
 
Tax Foreclosures (Properties Offered at City of Buffalo Foreclosure Auction)30 
 
Year Number at Auction 
2004 1,074 
-- -- 
2007 2,498 
2008 2,960 
2009 3,304 
2010 1,914 
2011 2,238  
2012 3,239 
2013 2,399 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
7 
 
 
Repair Problems 
 Buffalo has the oldest housing stock in the nation, with the largest percentage (67%) of 
homes built before 1940.32  
 
 In Erie County in 2013 there were 275 cases 
of elevated lead levels in children.33  The City 
of Buffalo has three of five zip codes in state 
with worst lead poisoning levels and accounts 
for roughly 95% of county lead cases.34 
 
 As of 2008, 13%-22% of children in the City 
suffered from asthma.35 
 
 In 2006, the City received 7,460 calls 
regarding housing violations and 1,612 
regarding violations at vacant houses.36 
 
 
For more housing publications by Partnership for the Public Good: 
www.ppgbuffalo.org/publications/housing/ 
 
___________________________________________________ 
 
Partnership for the Public Good    
www.ppgbuffalo.org    
237 Main St., Suite 1200, Buffalo NY 14203 
 
 
  
Year31 Children 
Tested for 
Lead in Erie 
County 
 
Number with 
Elevated 
Lead Level 
2003 18,458 420 
2008 19,037 342 
2013 20,166 275 
   
 
 
 
8 
 
 
 
Notes 
                                                 
1 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, http://factfinder.census.gov  
2 Id. 
3 Anthony Armstrong, “Vacancy, Abandonment, & Revitalization in Buffalo, NY,” available from the author. 
4 City of Buffalo Comprehensive Plan, p. 24. 
5 The City uses data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml  
6 City of Buffalo, Department of Real Estate, 6/26/14, http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/home/city_departments/realestate  
7 City of Buffalo, http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/files/1_2_1/Mayor/CitiStat/EDPIS/3-9-07/EDPIS.pdf  
8 Maki Becker, “Arson fires: the firefighters’ nightmare,” Buffalo News, 6/15/07. 
9 City of Buffalo, Department of Permit and Inspection Services. June 1st, 2014. 
10 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, General Population and Housing Characteristics, 2009-2011 3-year estimates 
(population) 
11 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, General Population and Housing Characteristics, 2009-2011 3-year estimates 
(population) 
12 City of Buffalo Comprehensive Plan, p. 24. 
13 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, General Poverty Status Past 12 Months, 2009-2011 3-year estimates 
14 http://www.wgrz.com/story/news/local/2013/12/11/buffalo-poverty-/3992749/  
15 Regional Institute, State of the Region Project, Cost of Living Report, February 2005 
16 The Buffalo News, http://www.buffalonews.com/20130519/number_of_homeless_in_erie_county_increased_16.html  
17 New York State Comptroller, http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/housing/affordable_housing_ny_2014.pdf  
18 Id. Note that mortgaged homeowners are more likely to be over the affordability threshold than those non-mortgaged. 
19 PPG Buffalo Brief, Poverty in Buffalo-Niagara (April 16, 2012). 
20 "Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, NY Profile: Economic Opportunities." Diversitydata.org. Harvard School of Public 
Health, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. 
<http://diversitydata.sph.harvard.edu/Data/Profiles/Show.aspx?loc=248¬es=True&rgn=None&cat=5>. 
21 Tara Watson, New Housing, Income Inequality, and Distressed Metropolitan Areas, Brookings Institute (2007) 
22 The Atlantic Cities, http://www.citylab.com/housing/2014/03/us-cities-where-poor-are-most-segregated/8655/  
23 Western New York Law Center, http://wnylc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/City-of-Buffalo-Distressed-Property-Task-
Force-version-PDF.pdf  
24 Ramon Garcia, “Residential Foreclosures in the City of Buffalo, 1990-2000,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2003), 
p. 9. 
25 Western New York Law Center, personal communication, January 11, 2013. 
26 Western New York Law Center, personal communication, December 10, 2014. 
27 Western New York Law Center, Foreclosing Erie County (2009) 
28 Center for Responsible Lending, “Subprime Spillover,” page 24, http://www.responsiblelending.org/pdfs/subprime-
spillover.pdf  
29 G. Scott Thomas, “WNY avoiding credit crunch,” Buffalo Business First, 2/1/08. 
30 City of Buffalo, Assessment and Taxation Department 
31 Erie County Department of Health, cited in Melinda Miller, “Children still being poisoned by lead lingering in homes.”  
Buffalo News.  October 28, 2014. 
32 U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, AMERICAN FACT FINDER, SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS, 2006-2010 5-YEAR ESTIMATES. 
33 Erie County Department of Health, cited in Melinda Miller, “Children still being poisoned by lead lingering in homes.”  
Buffalo News.  October 28, 2014. 
34 New York State Department of Health, “A Report of Lead Exposure Status Among New York Children, 2002-2003; 
www.scorecard.ortg; and “Healthy Homes,” University at Buffalo Graduate Planning Studio. 
35 www.asthmawny.org/files/Kaleida_SAM_Presentation_3-26-08.ppt  
36 City of Buffalo, http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/files/1_2_1/Mayor/CitiStat/EDPIS/7-13-07/EDPIS.pdf  


Vacant and Abandoned Housing in Buffalo

Buffalo has the oldest housing stock in the nation, with the largest percentage (67%) of homes built before 1940. In Erie County in 2013 there were 275 cases of elevated lead levels in children. The City of Buffalo has three of five zip codes in state with worst lead poisoning levels and accounts for roughly 95% of county lead cases. As of 2008, 13%-22% of children in the City suffered from asthma. In 2006, the City received 7,460 calls regarding housing violations and 1,612 regarding violations at vacant houses.DataDemographicsHistory__Vacant_and_Abandoned_Housing_in_Buffalo.pdf: 246 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Masson, Marc J.

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