Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie were named for the regional Iroquoian language-speaking Erie tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the area before 1654. They were later pushed out by the more powerful Iroquoian nations tribes. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.