Living in Amherst, NY
Suburb in New York
Amherst is a suburb in New York, home to about 130,000 people, with 786,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Amherst a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Easy flying: BUF is 5 mi away
- Mild summers: highs around 78°F
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Safe: violent crime is 0.3× the US rate (FBI 2019)
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Higher taxes: about $3,080 state income tax per resident, 2.05% property tax
- Smaller job market: about 786,000 people live within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Amherst ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Amherst: common questions
What is the cost of living in Amherst?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $331k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,640 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 96, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Amherst?
New York collects about $3,080 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.05% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Amherst safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.3× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Amherst?
Public schools in Amherst test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 13 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Amherst?
Amherst has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 34°F and summer days around 78°F, with roughly 95″ of snow a year.
Does Amherst get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and cold waves: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.6 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Amherst?
The nearest major airport is BUF, about 5 mi away.
How Amherst scores
Each bar compares Amherst with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Amherst
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in New York.
Is Amherst right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.