Western New York
Elma Center, New York
Elma Center is a hamlet — a community without a village government of its own — in Erie County, part of New York's Western New York region, with about 2,900 residents at the 2020 census.
Whether you're moving in or you've been here for years, the checks that matter most are the school district, the assessment and STAR, and — outside the cities — the well, the septic, and the flood map.
- Type
- Hamlet (CDP)
- County
- Erie
- Region
- Western New York
- Population (2020)
- 2,851
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Elma Center
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
Nearby · History & Culture
Aurora Still Works in the Roycroft Shops
Aurora's East Aurora identity keeps Arts and Crafts buildings, artisan work, and local museum life close together.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Lancaster's Opera House Lives Above Town Hall
Lancaster's opera house ties civic business and community performance to the same 1897 town hall building.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
West Seneca Still Carries the Ebenezer Story
West Seneca's local story carries Seneca place-name context, Buffalo Creek Reservation history, and the Ebenezer Society's communal hamlets.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
East Aurora's Roycroft Campus Anchors Its Main Street Story
East Aurora's Roycroft Campus explains why this Erie County village carries an arts-and-crafts identity near its Main Street core.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Elma's Story Lives in Its Hamlets
Elma's local identity comes through Blossom, East Elma, Elma Center, Spring Brook, and a rural museum tradition.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Marilla keeps history in a log cabin and community center
Marilla’s town page ties local history to a historical display, Civil War library, Roloff House, and log cabin.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Lancaster's Downtown Has an Opera House Spine
Lancaster village's historic district keeps downtown texture visible through the Opera House, Town Hall, commercial blocks, homes, and preservation review.
Read this note ->Erie County · Home & Property
Erie Lead Checks Belong Before Older-Home Work
Erie County's LeadSAFE pages help families, landlords, and contractors ask the right lead questions before work starts.
Read this note ->Erie County · History & Culture
Kenmore Is Buffalo's Early Suburb
Kenmore's village identity grew from streetcar-era suburb building, incorporation, named roads, and a shared municipal building with Tonawanda.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
About $13–$28 per $1,000 in Erie County
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $3,801–$8,277 a year before the STAR break. A hamlet has no government of its own — it's taxed at the rates of the town it sits in.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
Page feedback
Send a page note
Send a note about this page. The page address will be included automatically.
Page feedback
Send a note
This is for fixing the site: wrong details, unclear wording, broken links, outdated information, or useful local context.