Buffalo, New York
Complete analysis of 435 contractors across 10 trades.
**MARKET MATURITY: Emerging** — At 0.5% AI-ready, Buffalo is an emerging market—early adopters haven't yet established dominance. Maximum opportunity for those who act now.
- •99.5% of contractors in Buffalo are invisible to AI systems
- •Plumber lead with 6.7% AI-ready
- •Buffalo ranks -0.3 points below New York average
- •Only 15% have proper schema markup
"What we're seeing in Buffalo is typical of smaller Canadian markets — contractors who've built great reputations through word-of-mouth are now invisible to the AI systems their future customers are using. The opportunity here is massive for first movers."
— Gabriel Bujold, Co-Founder, VerifiedNode
Top Performers by Trade
Scores based on Verified Node AI Trust Index
The Digital Divide
Of 435 contractors in Buffalo, only 2 (0.5%) have the digital signals AI assistants surface. The other 433 are effectively invisible when consumers ask ChatGPT for recommendations.
Market Analysis
Buffalo offers an accessible market with 435 contractors across 10 trades. AI competition is low—only 0.5% are optimized. Now is the time to act.
Provincial Comparison
19 cities analyzed
Schema Opportunity
15% of contractors in Buffalo use structured data. The other 370 are missing a major AI visibility opportunity.
Leaders & Laggards
Plumber lead with 6.7% AI visibility, while Foundation Specialist lag behind at 0%. This 6.7-point gap represents an opportunity for businesses in less optimized trades.
The Review Paradox
Top 10% contractors in Buffalo average 290 reviews vs 5 for the bottom 50% — that's 58.8x more. But here's the catch: some businesses with lots of reviews still score poorly (31.7/100 AI score). Reviews alone aren't enough.
Recommended Actions
Score Distribution
AI Visibility by Trade
Average score indicates relative AI visibility by trade
Vertical Comparison
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| Trade | Businesses | Avg Score | AI-Ready | Website | Schema | Competition | Top Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General-contractor | 224 | 39.2 | 0% | 100% | 13% | Medium | Buffalo Roofing Co 75/100 | |
| General Contractor | 92 | 38.9 | 0% | 100% | 14% | Low | Buffalo Roofing Co 75/100 | |
| Roofer | 36 | 42.3 | 0% | 100% | 19% | Low | Black Rock Roofing 71/100 | |
| Plumber | 30 | 42.7 | 6.7% | 100% | 13% | Low | Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup 89/100 | |
| HVAC Contractor | 25 | 40 | 0% | 100% | 20% | Low | A. G. Roehrig and Son, LLC. 65/100 | |
| Electrician | 23 | 43.7 | 0% | 100% | 30% | Low | Great Lakes Electrical, LLC 65/100 | |
| Painter | 2 | 39 | 0% | 100% | 0% | Low | Ingersoll Painting & Construction 43/100 | |
| Landscaper | 1 | 40 | 0% | 100% | 0% | Low | Elite Sprinklers & Lights 40/100 | |
| HVAC-R Technician | 1 | 32 | 0% | 100% | 0% | Low | Sparks Electric Refrigeration 32/100 | |
| Foundation Specialist | 1 | 60 | 0% | 100% | 100% | Low | Nickel City Home Service 60/100 |
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Methodology
This analysis aggregates data from 435 contractors across 10 trades in Buffalo. Scores are calculated using our proprietary AI Trust Index.
Google Maps data via Apify