Suffolk County Route 97 (Nicolls Road) - New York, 2010
Centereach’s story
110 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873.
- 1916Centereach is settled
CentereachNY
A town of 31,839, settled in 1916.
Population
31,839
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$656K
+7.2% in a year
Household income
$132K
median
Median age
38.4
years
Jobs based here
6,164
A commuter town
Is Centereach a good place to live?
Centereach’s median rent is $2,420 a month, above both New York’s towns ($1,101 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The biggest park or preserve is Percy B Raynor Memorial Park, at 78 acres. We don’t grade Centereach yet; the figures below are still real.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Centereach for work
Where Centereach’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
6,164jobs based in Centereach
5%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Nearby attractions
All 549 attractions →Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and 91 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Centereach. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
21 mi National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic Site122K visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
29 mi State parkJones Beach State Park
30 mi MuseumGlass House
38 mi Park & preservePelham Bay ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: Unknown, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jones Beach State Park: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glass House: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Pelham Bay Park: Peter Romano, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Centereach: who provides what
Centereach is unincorporated, so Suffolk County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSuffolk County Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSuffolk CountySuffolk County provides services here
SchoolsMiddle Country Central School DistrictThree Village Central School District2 districts serve Centereach; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSuffolk County Board of ElectionsSuffolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes11720, 1177911720 91% · 11779 7%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Centereach.
Work & commute
Centereach has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Centereach for work: only 5% work in town. Centereach’s median household income is $132,000, above both the New York town median ($82,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). The average trip to work in Centereach is 32 minutes.
5%work in town
| Centereach | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $132,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Centereach5%
Brookhaven28%
New York18%
Islip16%
Smithtown9%
12 mi
median commute distance
6,164
jobs based in Centereach
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Housing
Homes in Centereach are worth about $656K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Centereach home is worth about $656,000, up 7.2% in a year, 25% above the New York typical home. 87% of households own their home in Centereach.
$656KZillow home value
Typical home value
Centereach$656K
New York$525K
Market temperature
28
days on market
103.6%
sale-to-list price
+7.2%
value change, 1 year
16
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Centereach
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Centereach.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
14
paid flood claims since 1979
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Centereach, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Centereach has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 23° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–42°
Spring39–59°
Summer62–81°
Fall46–64°
Nov 2
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+2.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Centereach is
Centereach beats the New York average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of Centereach adults have obesity.
| Centereach | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
17 better15 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Centereach | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 17.2% |
Suny/Stony Brook University Hospital
3.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
An age mix much like New York’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New York average. Centereach’s median age is 38.4 years. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
38.4median age · NY 39.8
| Centereach | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.4 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
CentereachNew YorkUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school27%
Some college18%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate16%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.7, men 36.4.
| Centereach | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
4.9%conserved
| Centereach | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
4.9%
conserved · 277 of 5,671 acres
5.2 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Levitt Park Running Trail | 1.7 mi | 21 |
| 2. Levitt Ballfield Park | 0.9 mi | 28 |
| 3. South Setauket Park | 0.4 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Centereach
17pages on Centereach
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Centereach
Suffolk County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Selden1.9 mi$6,630 in-state tuitionStony Brook UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Stony Brook3.8 mi$10,931 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 Centereach residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
About Centereach
Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States
Centereach () is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Centereach had a population of 30,980.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 98 ft
- ZIP code
- 11720
Centereach’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Centereach.
SeldenLake GroveLake RonkonkomaFarmingvilleTerryvilleHoltsvilleCentereach
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centereach | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Selden | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Grove | #233 | B+ | D− | — | B+ | A |
| Lake Ronkonkoma | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Farmingville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Terryville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Holtsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lake Grove reports no FBI crime data of its own. Centereach, Selden, Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingville, Terryville and Holtsville aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Centereach with a neighbor →
Questions about Centereach
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Centereach, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Centereach yet; the figures below are still real.
What is Centereach, NY known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Tracey Fuchs and Bert Heffernan.