Glückauf, 1893
Fire Island’s story
169 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1893.
- 1857Fire Island is settled
Fire IslandNY
Population
352
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$784K
Census ACS
Household income
$85K
median
Median age
49.7
years
Jobs based here
267
Balanced
Is Fire Island a good place to live?
Fire Island’s typical journey to work is 39 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 28% of the land in Fire Island is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is Fire Island National Seashore, 12,246 acres with 46.2 miles of trail. Fire Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Fire Island stand out
Where Fire Island beats most towns.
By the sea
Fire Island lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 73% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
73%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
100thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
3,079paid flood-insurance claims since 1978
80thpercentile for hurricane risk
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Nearby attractions
All 544 attractions →Citi Field and 142 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fire Island. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaCiti Field
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaEtihad Park
34 mi City parkFlushing Meadows–Corona Park
21 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
34 mi LandmarkUnisphere
38 mi Zoo & aquariumBronx ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Citi Field: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Etihad Park: Bananza76, CC0 · Flushing Meadows–Corona Park: Flapane, Public domain · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Unisphere: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bronx Zoo: Stavenn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Fire Island: who provides what
Fire Island 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
Internet2 providers80% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSuffolk CountySuffolk County provides services here
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 codes11706, 11770, 11782, 1177211706 50% · 11770 23% · 11782 22% · 11772 3%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 Fire Island.
Natural hazards
In Fire Island, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical New York or U.S. town
FEMA puts 73% of Fire Island’s expected hazard losses down to coastal flooding, and 22% to inland flooding. The national flood insurance program has paid 3,079 claims locally since 1978. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Coastal floodingInland flooding
3,079
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Nearly a quarter of Fire Island is conserved land
In 6 parks and preserves, walkers have 69 miles of trail. The trail density in Fire Island is 1.8 miles per square mile.
27.8%conserved
27.8%
conserved · 6,761 of 24,335 acres
69 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fire Island National Seashore | 46.2 mi | 12,246 |
| 2. Smith Point County Park | 7 mi | 1,139 |
| 3. Robert Moses State Park (Long Island) | 5 mi | 745 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Fire Island: four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 26°, with about 32 inches of snow a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–42°
Spring41–58°
Summer64–81°
Fall49–65°
Nov 2
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Fire Island stands out in New York and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
The top destinations are Islip (28%), New York (19%) and Brookhaven (13%). Jobs based in Fire Island fell to 267 in 2023, 148 fewer than in 2013. 6.6% of Fire Island residents live below the poverty line.
2%work in town
| Fire Island | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Fire Island2%
Islip28%
New York19%
Brookhaven13%
Oyster Bay6%
19 mi
median commute distance
267
jobs based in Fire Island
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Fire Island is
Just over two in five adults in Fire Island have high blood pressure; 29% feel lonely. This New York town does better than the New York average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 13. The share of adults in Fire Island who have diabetes: 14%.
| Fire Island | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. New York
7 better12 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Fire Island | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.2% | 12.8% |
| Fewer lonely adults | 28.5% | 34.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 6% |
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center
6.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median home in Fire Island sells for about $1.36M
In Fire Island, 80% of households live in a home they own. For Fire Island, the going rate for rent is $1,328 a month. On the market here: a median 66 days to sell.
$1.36Mmedian sale price
| Fire Island | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,328 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Market temperature
66
days on market
90.7%
sale-to-list price
7
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fire Island
16pages on Fire Island
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fire Island
Five Towns CollegeUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Dix Hills13.9 mi$30,250 tuitionFarmingdale State CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Farmingdale14.2 mi$8,626 in-state tuition
College town 15 of every 100 Fire Island residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Small town
352 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
BrookhavenOak BeachSouthamptonWest Hampton DunesCaptreeFire Island
About Fire Island
Island in New York
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two islands are about 31 miles (50 km) long and vary between 520 and 1,310 feet (160 and 400 m) wide. The land area of Fire Island is 9.6 square miles (24.9 km2). The majority of the island's land is protected by Fire Island National Seashore, established in 1964 after local resistance to proposed overdevelopment and highway construction. As of 2024, life for Fire Island visitors and residents was defined by restrictions on personal automobile use meant to preser…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 38 sq mi
Questions about Fire Island
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fire Island, NY a good place to live?
Fire Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.