Buffalo, Indiana

Community in White County · population 619 (2020 Census)

Median home: $125,000
Household income: $89,934
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 83°
Snow a year: 25 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 13
Median age: 56.5

Buffalo is a community of 619 people in White County, Indiana. The median home is worth $125,000, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). It ranks quieter than 100% of Indiana towns, better for a vacation home than 97% of Indiana towns.

Buffalo in our rankings:

How Buffalo ranks

Percentile among Indiana towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Indiana towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Buffalo is worth $125,000, below the typical Indiana town ($150,400). Homes cost about 1.4 times the median household income of $89,934, which is more affordable than 98% of Indiana towns. 94.6% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Indiana towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Buffalo	Typical Indiana town
Median home value	$125,000	$150,400
Median rent	—	$888
Median household income	$89,934	$61,953
Home value ÷ income	1.4×	2.5×
Homeownership	94.6%	73.4%
Median year built	1970	1966
Seasonal / vacation homes	20.0%	—

Who lives in Buffalo

People	Buffalo	Typical Indiana town
Median age	56.5	38.9
Age 65 and over	17.7%	17.1%
Under 18	1.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.0%	17.4%
Below the poverty line	8.3%	11.6%
Veterans	16.0%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.8%	—
Work from home	4.8%	6.2%
Average commute	29.9 min	24.7 min
Homes with broadband	89.6%	89.2%

Weather in Buffalo

July highs average 83.0°F and January lows 15.5°F. About 38.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 24.5 inches of snow (typical Indiana town: 21.1 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 134 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Francesville station (10.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

13 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Buffalo since 1950, compared with 23 for the typical Indiana town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on April 3, 1974 about 6.6 miles from the town center and killed 10. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 10 deaths and 77 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on July 23, 2017.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 17 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on May 24, 2011.

Severe weather in White County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, White County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

White County has been included in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
August 15, 2026	Flood	EM-3651: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3641: Severe Winter Storm
April 15, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4704: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
April 3, 2020	Biological	DR-4515: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3456: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in White County

White County had 8,815 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $48,614 a year. Unemployment was 2.7% in 2023; in Buffalo itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Buffalo

Monon, IN
7.6 mi · 1,919 people · home $96,000
Monticello, IN
10.1 mi · 5,508 people · home $149,600
Francesville, IN
10.2 mi · 852 people · home $131,900
Reynolds, IN
12.1 mi · 531 people · home $123,900
Royal Center, IN
12.5 mi · 802 people · home $83,800
Winamac, IN
13.3 mi · 2,318 people · home $147,600
Medaryville, IN
15.5 mi · 559 people · home $78,500
Chalmers, IN
17.1 mi · 523 people · home $162,500

Buffalo questions

Is Buffalo, Indiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Buffalo scores better for retirees than 52% of Indiana towns and quieter than 100%. 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 56.5).

How much does a house cost in Buffalo?

The median owner-occupied home in Buffalo is valued at $125,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $89,934, so homes cost about 1.4 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Buffalo?

July highs average 83.0°F and January lows 15.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 38.9 inches of precipitation a year and 24.5 inches of snow.

Does Buffalo get tornadoes?

13 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Buffalo since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on April 3, 1974. The typical Indiana town has had 23.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Buffalo's Census boundary (GEOID 1808992). Comparisons use the median of Indiana towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.