Tonawanda, NY

Census Place

2019 Population

57,027

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2019 Median Age

43.4

0.23% 1-year decrease

2019 Poverty Rate

8.9%

3.94% 1-year decrease

2019 Median Household Income

$59,845

5.76% 1-year growth

2019 Median Property Value

$139,300

Population & Diversity

Tonawanda, NY is home to a population of 57k people, from which 98.1% are citizens.

As of 2019, 5.32% of Tonawanda, NY residents were born outside of the country (3.04k people).

In 2019, there were 19.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (49.8k people) in Tonawanda, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.55k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.17k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2019 Citizenship

97.7%

2018 Citizenship

As of 2019, 98.1% of Tonawanda, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2018, the percentage of US citizens in Tonawanda, NY was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Tonawanda, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Tonawanda, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
49.8k ± 999
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.55k ± 735
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.17k ± 345

4.32%

Hispanic Population

2.47k people

4.32% of the people in Tonawanda, NY are hispanic (2.47k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Tonawanda, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for New York.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
492,198 ± 17,010 people
China
414,597 ± 15,642 people
Jamaica
229,554 ± 11,695 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 492,198 New York residents, followed by China with 414,597 and Jamaica with 229,554.

Foreign-Born Population

5.32%

2019 Foreign-Born Population

3.04k people

6.35%

2018 Foreign-Born Population

3.64k people

As of 2019, 5.32% of Tonawanda, NY residents (3.04k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2018, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Tonawanda, NY was 6.35%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Tonawanda, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,373 ± 208
Gulf War (1990s)
489 ± 161
Gulf War (2001-)
423 ± 159

Tonawanda, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.81 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Tonawanda, NY.

Economy

The economy of Tonawanda, NY employs 29.3k people. In 2019, the largest industries in Tonawanda, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,173 people), Educational Services (3,477 people), and Retail Trade (3,317 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($72,646), Public Administration ($65,266), and Manufacturing ($54,742).

Employment

Occupations

29.3k

2019 Value

± 1,125

1.26%

1 Year growth

± 5.38%

From 2018 to 2019, employment in Tonawanda, NY grew at a rate of 1.26%, from 28.9k employees to 29.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Tonawanda, NY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,167 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,872 people), and Management Occupations (2,726 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Tonawanda, NY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New York (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

29.3k

2019 Value

± 1,125

1.26%

1 Year growth

± 5.38%

From 2018 to 2019, employment in Tonawanda, NY grew at a rate of 1.26%, from 28.9k employees to 29.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Tonawanda, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,173 people), Educational Services (3,477 people), and Retail Trade (3,317 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Tonawanda, NY, though some of these residents may live in Tonawanda, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,727

Median earning men ± $2,753

$35,928

Median earning women ± $1,612

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2019 are Public Administration ($71,466), Manufacturing ($58,804), and Information ($54,358).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2019 are Information ($49,034), Manufacturing ($46,202), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($44,831).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Tonawanda, NY was $139,300 in 2019, which is 0.419 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2018 and 2019 the median property value increased from $132,300 to $139,300, a 5.29% increase. The homeownership rate in Tonawanda, NY is 74.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Tonawanda, NY have an average commute time of 20.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Tonawanda, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$139,300

Median Property Value 2019

±$1,970

$19,319

Median Property Taxes

±$753

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Tonawanda, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Tonawanda, NY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74.8%

Homeownership

2019

59.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2019

In 2019, 74.8% of the housing units in Tonawanda, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Tonawanda, NY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$59,845

Median Household Income

± $2,357

25.8k

Number of Households

± 1,020

In 2019, the median household income of the 25.8k households in Tonawanda, NY grew to $59,845 from the previous year's value of $56,588.

The following chart displays the households in Tonawanda, NY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Tonawanda, NY is from New York.

0.492

2024 Wage GINI in New York

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

In 2024, the income inequality in New York was 0.492 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.301% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New York in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New York across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2019

Drove Alone (84.8%)
Carpooled (7.37%)
Worked At Home (3.1%)

In 2019, 84.8% of workers in Tonawanda, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.37%) and those who worked at home (3.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Tonawanda, NY have a shorter commute time (20.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.7% of the workforce in Tonawanda, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Tonawanda, NY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Tonawanda, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Tonawanda, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Tonawanda, NY (5.03k out of 56.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Tonawanda, NY is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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