Should I Move To
Roughly 48,502 people live in Niagara Falls, New York. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 7% below the national average. Median rent runs about $763/mo; the typical household pulls in $45,932. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 46/100 — a D, putting it at #633 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Niagara Falls sits at 93 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($763/mo against $45,932 median household income), housing eats roughly 20% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $94,900.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 78°F in summer, 21°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 41 inches. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods. Air quality reads good (AQI 34).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Niagara Falls isn't the strongest match. It earns 47/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on environmental quality (91/100); weakest on job market (2/100).
For retirees, Niagara Falls isn't the strongest match. It earns 53/100 (grade C-) on the retirees profile. Strongest on environmental quality (91/100); weakest on job market (2/100).
For remote workers, Niagara Falls is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on environmental quality (91/100); weakest on job market (2/100).
For young professionals, Niagara Falls isn't the strongest match. It earns 32/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on environmental quality (91/100); weakest on job market (2/100).
Niagara Falls, New York pulls a 46/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #633 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Niagara Falls's cost-of-living index is 93 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 7% below the national average. Median rent runs about $763/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 78°F, winter averages around 21°F, with about 41 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 33/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods.
Niagara Falls has about 48,502 residents, 22% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 40.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Niagara Falls head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Niagara Falls stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Niagara Falls with other New York cities scored on UrbRank.
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