New York Governors Race Highlights Differences Between Erie & Nassau Counties

With a big election coming up in just a few weeks, the tension between the two people vying to lead the Empire State into the future is growing.

Both current Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman are touting their roots in their local communities, along with their commitment to the entire state of New York. However, the differences between the regions these two people come from are vastly different. Considering these differences, you have to look at how they may shape how each person views the Empire State.

Both Hochul and Blakeman have spent time on the opposite end of the state trying to get support in each other's backyard, but have you ever actually compared Erie and Nassau counties to each other? We have, and the differences are quite stark.

Nassau County and Erie County, Side-by-Side

When you take a peek at the data the US Census Bureau has on record about each county, there are few similarities between them, other than the fact that both are in New York State.

According to the Census Bureau 2025 American Community Survey,

• Erie County has 3 cities, 25 towns, and 16 villages, with the city of Buffalo being the largest municipality; while Nassau County has 2 cities, 3 towns, and 64 villages, with the town of Hempstead being the largest municipality.
• Nassau County has a population of 1,398,939 people, while Erie County has 946,741 residents,
• Erie County's median household income is $72,839, while Nassau's is more than double that amount at $146,202,
• Erie County also has more than double the number of people in poverty, with 12.8% of the population, compared to just 5.9% in Nassau County.

Now, Nassau County benefits from being a primary suburb of New York City, which has a higher median income and gets the benefit of the majority of the region's impoverished people living in one of the five boroughs and not being able to afford to live in the burbs. Higher-income people are able to live in the affluent suburbs, while Erie County is home to New York's second-largest city, Buffalo, which is also one of the poorest cities in the nation.

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Given the higher income and property values in Nassau County, it should come as no surprise that its property taxes are much higher than they are in Erie County. According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Nassau County has among the highest property tax rates in the state, while Erie County is on the lower end of tax rates.