Centereach has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
6,164 jobs are based in Centereach for 14,543 working residents. Only 5% stay in Centereach for work; outside it, Brookhaven is the main destination (28%, 6 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 32 minutes (New York 33, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Centereach apart on work
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Centereach
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who leaves Centereach for work, and who comes in
On a workday 13,769 residents head out to work, 774 work right here, and 5,390 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in Centereach on a workday afternoon, 26% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Out of Centereach to work: where people go
Where Centereach clocks in
28% of workers
18% of workers
16% 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.
The kinds of work in Centereach
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Centereach, 2013 → 2023: 6,261 → 6,164. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Centereach’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 32 minutes each way, about the NY average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Centereach workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,697 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The towns around Centereach
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Centereach workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centereach | – | — | — | 32 min | $132,240 |
| Selden | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Lake Grove | under 2% | A− | A− | 39 min | $118,311 |
| Lake Ronkonkoma | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Farmingville | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Terryville | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Holtsville | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Selden, Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingville, Terryville and Holtsville: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Centereach’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 2023, 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 Centereach: questions
What is the median household income in Centereach?
$132,240 (±$11,130) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Centereach?
5.3%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Centereach?
32 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Centereach work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brookhaven (28%, 6 mi), New York City (18%, 47 mi), Islip (16%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Centereach without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Centereach, from the people who make the trip.
More of Centereach
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.