The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls MSA is a two country metropolitan area located in west New York. It has Buffalo, often times referred to as The Nickel City, as its anchoring city.

The population of the greater Buffalo area has been on the decline of the past several years, and one of the major reasons for this is the drop in population of Buffalo city proper. On the other hand the suburbs have kept a steady population over that time. One of the primary reasons for this is the steady flow of immigrants into the suburbs. Recently, Buffalo was ranked as one of the best places to raise a family, and this has brought many immigrant families to the area. Estimates have the foreign-born population growing at a steady pace on into the future.

Total Population: 1,135,230

Census Data

• Foreign Born - 65,042
• Language Spoken at Home - 96,361

Quick Facts

• The Buffalo MSA is also the second largest metropolitan area in the State of New York.


• There has been a recent influx of Arabic immigrants, and it has been estimated that there are approximately 3,000 Arab immigrants, most of which have come since the year 2000.


• Buffalo has the fourth largest Yemeni population in the United States.


• European immigrants make up the largest foreign-born ethnic group in the greater Buffalo area. Over two-thirds of the immigrant population in the area are from Europe.


• Historically the Polish have been the largest people group in Buffalo, and that holds true today. Polish immigrants make up approximately fourteen percent of the total foreign born population.