Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0East Hampton has higher household incomes than 92% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 79.0 in New York City. 10.4% of residents are in poverty, next to 14.0% for New York as a whole. East Hampton grades B for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in East Hampton: the gist
East Hampton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside East Hampton is New York City, 100 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (1,767) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from East Hampton are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in East Hampton go to people who live here
Of the 9,645 jobs based in East Hampton, 48% are held by East Hampton residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
A lot of East Hampton works from home
26% of East Hampton workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
39% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in East Hampton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, East Hampton is better than 62% of U.S. towns, #321 of 758 in New York. Household income holds East Hampton’s grade up ($132,348, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 32% of U.S. towns). It also does well on unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, East Hampton could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Short hops and long hauls from East Hampton
About 39% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Commuting from East Hampton: about 22 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of East Hampton workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,692 commuters (the 26% 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 daily commute in and out of East Hampton
On a workday 6,461 residents head out to work, 4,663 work right here, and 4,982 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.87 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
16% of working residents work in New York City
Where East Hampton clocks in
16% of workers
9% of workers
3% 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.
73% of the jobs in East Hampton pay over $3,333 a month
9,645 jobs are based in East Hampton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in East Hampton, 2014 → 2024: 8,799 → 9,645. 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 East Hampton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
East Hampton is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, East Hampton is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns, #231 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 11.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 7.8.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,484 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 7% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 3% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 42% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.8% of East Hampton households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of East Hampton’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, East Hampton is 771st of 1,366 U.S. towns of 21,000 to 40,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Eastchester NY | 34,015 | $156K | 4.8% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Garden City NY | 23,043 | $244K | 3.0% | 3.9% | 9% | A+ |
| 50 | Clifton Park NY | 37,775 | $133K | 2.3% | 2.0% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 769 | Delhi Township MI | 28,431 | $90K | 10.3% | 5.1% | 8% | B |
| 770 | Spring Valley CA | 31,969 | $109K | 9.5% | 10.5% | 3% | B |
| 771 | East Hampton NY | 29,400 | $132K | 10.4% | 3.6% | 42% | B |
| 772 | Dixon CA | 21,116 | $103K | 10.2% | 5.9% | 12% | B |
| 773 | Auburndale FL | 21,369 | $78K | 9.6% | 3.5% | 7% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,366 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 16% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of East Hampton, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
How East Hampton compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Southampton (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | East Hampton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Hampton | – | B | A | 22 min | $132,348 |
| Southold | under 2% | B | A | 27 min | $116,667 |
| Southampton | 9% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $128,594 |
| Shelter Island | under 2% | B− | A | 34 min | $133,967 |
| Sagaponack | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Shelter Island Heights | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Noyack | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sagaponack: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Shelter Island Heights and Noyack: 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 East Hampton’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 East Hampton: questions
What is the median household income in East Hampton?
$132,348 (±$14,311) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in East Hampton?
10.4%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from East Hampton?
22 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in East Hampton work?
42% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (16%, 100 mi), Southampton (9%, 24 mi), Brookhaven (3%, 47 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is East Hampton walkable?
East Hampton is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around East Hampton without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 3% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from East Hampton, from the people who make the trip.
More of East Hampton
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.