Lawyers salary in Buffalo, NY

Median pay for lawyers in Buffalo, NY: $111,030/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $60,950 – $207,080 · about 2,970 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($119,840) by −$8,810 (-7%).

What it's really worth in Buffalo

With Buffalo's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $111,030 has the buying power of about $116,971 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $67,638 · median home $288,316 · median rent $1,444/mo.

Full Buffalo cost of living & taxes →

How Buffalo ranks for this job

On raw pay, Buffalo, NY is 114th of the 183 metros we hold lawyers wages for. Once Buffalo's cost of living is applied, it ranks 115th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Buffalo sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Buffalo

A median home in Buffalo, NY costs $288,316 — about 2.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,444/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where lawyers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Buffalo.

Metro	Median pay	vs Buffalo	Rent vs Buffalo
San Jose, CA	$239,200	+115%	2.5×
San Francisco, CA	$217,340	+96%	2.3×
Los Angeles, CA	$194,020	+75%	2×
New York, NY	$185,790	+67%	2.4×

Same job elsewhere in NY

Metro	Median pay	vs Buffalo	Rent vs Buffalo
New York, NY	$185,790	+67%	2.4×
Rochester, NY	$129,950	+17%	1.1×
Albany, NY	$119,950	+8%	1.2×
Syracuse, NY	$116,350	+5%	1.1×

Staying in NY keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Buffalo