Work means Portland for more than half of Long Island’s working residents
Working residents average 27 minutes each way, where Maine has 25 and the U.S. 26. Only 2% work in Long Island; the top destination outside it is Portland (51%, 3 miles). Home is the office for 23% of workers; Maine has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Long Island for work, and who comes in
On a workday 109 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 35 people come in from elsewhere.
About 160 people are in Long Island on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.33 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Long Island: the destinations
Where Long Island clocks in
51% of workers
6% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
37 jobs are based in Long Island.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Long Island, 2014 → 2024: 4 → 37. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Long Island’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Long Island spends getting to work: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Long Island workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 105 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Long Island’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Long Island and its neighbors: 54% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Long Island workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island | – | — | — | 27 min | $91,250 |
| Portland | 51% | B | A+ | 19 min | $79,540 |
| Falmouth | 3% | A+ | C+ | 23 min | $150,919 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Portland. Darker towns draw more of Long Island’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Long Island: questions
What is the median household income in Long Island?
$91,250 (±$29,429) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Long Island?
4.4%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Long Island?
27 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Long Island work?
2% work in town.
Can you get around Long Island without a car?
30% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Long Island, from the people who make the trip.
More of Long Island
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.