Making a living in Great River
1,074 jobs are based in Great River for 970 working residents. Only 2% stay in Great River for work; outside it, Islip is the main destination (29%, 2 miles). Commuters spend 31 minutes getting to work on average, next to 33 for New York and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Great River, in brief
Great River’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Great River is New York City, 41 miles away as the crow flies. 20% of working residents (191) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Nearly all the work in Great River is services
93% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 5% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Great River’s workforce skews older
37% of Great River’s working residents are 55 or older. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 970 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Near or far: the trip to work from Great River
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.
In Great River, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Great River, 2013 → 2023: 990 → 1,074. 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 Great River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Great River
On a workday 954 residents head out to work, 16 work right here, and 1,058 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 (1.11 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where people from Great River work
Where Great River clocks in
29% of workers
20% 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 trip to work from Great River: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Great River workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 893 commuters (the 12% 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 Great River
The biggest share goes to Brookhaven (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Great River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great River | – | — | — | 31 min | $136,071 |
| East Islip | under 1% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Brookhaven | 8% | A− | A− | 32 min | $120,110 |
| Oakdale | under 1% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| North Great River | under 1% | — | — | 27 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. East Islip, Oakdale and North Great River: 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 Great River’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 Great River: questions
What is the median household income in Great River?
$136,071 (±$35,948) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Great River?
5.4%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Great River?
31 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Great River work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Islip (29%, 2 mi), New York City (20%, 41 mi), Babylon (8%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Great River without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Great River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Great River
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.