Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Islip top those of 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Islip are A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Below the poverty line: 6.4% of residents; New York has 14.0%. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 79.0 in New York City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Islip, in brief
Islip’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Islip is New York City, 39 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (28,431) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Islip trades workers with the towns around it
Islip has about as many jobs (144,366) as working residents (160,358), but they are mostly different people: 114,666 residents leave for work each day while 98,674 people come in. Only 32% of the jobs in Islip are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Islip works one town over
26% of working residents work in a town that borders Islip: Brookhaven (10%), Babylon (8%) and Smithtown (8%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Islip are quick
The average trip to work takes 28 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
The figures behind Islip’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Islip is better than 87% of U.S. towns, #101 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds Islip’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Islip could be anywhere from A− to A.
Miles to work from Islip
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 Islip for work, and who comes in
On a workday 114,666 residents head out to work, 45,692 work right here, and 98,674 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 (0.90 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.
Islip’s commute takes about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Islip workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 158,494 commuters (the 8% 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.
18% of working residents work in New York City
Where Islip clocks in
18% of workers
10% of workers
8% 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.
65% of the jobs in Islip pay over $3,333 a month
144,366 jobs are based in Islip.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Islip, 2013 → 2023: 141,316 → 144,366. 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 Islip’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Islip 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, Islip is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #283 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Islip near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 172,804 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 6% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, <1% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 50% 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). 6.3% of Islip households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Islip’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Islip ranks: 4th of 55 U.S. towns of 239,000 to 460,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oyster Bay NY | 301,115 | $160K | 3.9% | 4.6% | 19% | A |
| 2 | Gilbert AZ | 287,285 | $123K | 5.3% | 3.5% | 15% | A |
| 3 | Plano TX | 293,028 | $112K | 6.8% | 4.0% | 23% | A |
| 4 | Islip NY | 340,867 | $130K | 6.4% | 4.5% | 28% | A |
| 5 | Scottsdale AZ | 243,006 | $111K | 7.3% | 3.6% | 28% | A |
| 6 | Chandler AZ | 278,748 | $108K | 7.9% | 3.6% | 23% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Buffalo NY | 274,613 | $50K | 26.0% | 7.3% | 42% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Cleveland OH | 363,608 | $41K | 30.6% | 10.8% | 42% | C− |
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 Islip, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
26% of Islip works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Brookhaven (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Islip workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islip | – | A | A− | 28 min | $130,132 |
| Brookhaven | 10% | A− | A− | 32 min | $120,110 |
| Babylon | 8% | A | A | 31 min | $128,108 |
| Babylon | under 1% | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $140,820 |
| Smithtown | 8% | A | A− | 32 min | $152,636 |
| Lake Ronkonkoma | under 1% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Ronkonkoma: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Islip’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 Islip: questions
What is the median household income in Islip?
$130,132 (±$2,573) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Islip?
6.4%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Islip?
28 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Islip work?
28% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (18%, 39 mi), Brookhaven (10%, 16 mi), Smithtown (8%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Islip walkable?
Islip is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Islip without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. <1% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Islip, from the people who make the trip.
More of Islip
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. 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.