Fueling Business Growth and Community Success
A key contributor to the economic vitality of the Buffalo-Niagara region.
Through the AmherstLeads partnership, the Town of Amherst and Amherst Industrial Development Agency bring a unique blend of academic partnerships, forward-thinking infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce to our community. AmherstLeads is your gateway to sustainable business growth and community development.
Our Founding Partners
Amherst IDA
The Amherst Industrial Development Agency (AIDA) promotes economic diversity, quality employment opportunities, and broadens the tax base in the Town of Amherst to reduce the tax burden on homeowners while maintaining and enhancing a high-quality living environment.
Town of Amherst
The Town of Amherst promotes the town as a premier destination for businesses and residents by focusing on business attraction and retention, workforce development, infrastructure investment, strategic growth, community engagement, and streamlined permitting.
Located in Western New York, Amherst is more than just a strategic location—it’s where groundbreaking ideas, industry-leading research, and vibrant community life converge.
Through collaboration and innovation, we drive transformative development, creating opportunities for businesses and residents alike.
Discover how Amherst Leads in…powering the region’s economic development through strategic partnerships, innovation, and workforce excellence.
About Amherst
Located north of the City of Buffalo, the Town of Amherst is both a local and regional destination in the Western New York region. Amherst is the fourth largest municipality in Upstate New York with a population of 131,064 residents and a daytime population that swells to over 180,000+ people. The largest and most populous suburb of Buffalo, New York, Amherst is one of the biggest economic anchors in Erie County. Over the past 50 years, Amherst has become a desirable place to live with its abundance of housing, its highly ranked school districts, and its bustling economy and job offerings.
Amherst has excellent community facilities and services, which are rated by residents and businesses as a major contributor to the Town’s high quality of life and its desirability as an employment center. Amherst is consistently rated as one of the safest communities in the country with a population over 100,000. The Town’s three major school district’s regularly rank in the top ten of area schools by a local business publication, with the Williamsville Central School District, the largest suburban district in the region, currently ranked first among all district’s in Western New York. Four libraries are located within the Town, including the Audubon Library, which has the highest circulation of any library in the Erie County Library system. Approximately 4,000 acres, or 12% of Amherst’s land area, is designated for recreation and open space uses, including parks, recreational facilities, conservation areas, bikeways, trailways, and golf courses. In addition, the Town provides both Senior and Youth Services at a number of facilities.
Location
Amherst is favorably located at a crossroads of interstate highways and near the hub of air transportation for Western New York, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The interstate highways that traverse Amherst provide excellent accessibility to the Western New York region, Canada, Upstate New York, and the eastern United States via Interstate 90 and points south west and south via the I-90 and US Route 219.
Strategic Focus Areas
Supporting business growth and community prosperity.
Bringing business to our community.
Enhancing our community, one asset at a time.
Resource development to influence success.
Building better business connections.
Target Industries
Healthcare Services and Medical Tourism
Professional Services and Information Technologies
Finance & Insurance
Providing Exemplary Education & Opportunity.
Amherst, NY, is home to renowned institutions such as the University at Buffalo, Daemen University, and SUNY Erie. These leading institutions offer cutting-edge programs, foster innovation, and contribute to the region’s intellectual vibrancy.
See the impact of our work in action!
The AIDA Impact Dashboard showcases key metrics, success stories, and ongoing projects highlighting our role in advancing Amherst’s economic development.