Households in Lake Grove earn more than those in 87% of U.S. towns
8.1% of residents are in poverty (New York 14.0%). The two grades for Lake Grove are A− for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Only 3% work in Lake Grove; the top destination outside it is Brookhaven (23%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Lake Grove apart
Stores, warehouses and trucking
82% of the jobs in Lake Grove are in trade, transport and utilities, against 20% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Lake Grove
68% of Lake Grove residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 23% of the jobs based in Lake Grove pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Lake Grove pay little
42% of the jobs based in Lake Grove pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 49% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
A lot of Lake Grove works one town over
32% of working residents work in a town that borders Lake Grove: Brookhaven (23%) and Smithtown (9%). Next door ↓
Lake Grove workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 33 across New York. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (28 to 35 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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.
Lake Grove’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lake Grove is better than 78% of U.S. towns, #183 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds Lake Grove’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.2%, 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, Lake Grove could be anywhere from B to A+.
The kinds of work in Lake Grove
7,043 jobs are based in Lake Grove.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Grove, 2014 → 2024: 5,249 → 7,043. 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 Lake Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 39 minutes each way for Lake Grove’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Grove workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,442 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 daily flow of workers through Lake Grove
On a workday 5,080 residents head out to work, 139 work right here, and 6,904 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Lake Grove on a workday afternoon, 16% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.35 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.
Where Lake Grove’s working residents head each day
Where Lake Grove clocks in
23% of workers
20% of workers
17% 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.
Half of Lake Grove commutes less than 12 miles
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.
Lake Grove 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, Lake Grove is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #259 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Lake Grove 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 5,031 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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 Lake Grove households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Lake Grove’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 2,507 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000, Lake Grove comes 813th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 88 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Hastings-on-Hudson NY | 8,440 | $194K | 2.3% | 4.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 811 | Corona de Tucson AZ | 9,566 | $133K | 2.6% | 4.6% | 1% | A− |
| 812 | North St. Paul MN | 12,780 | $85K | 11.2% | 2.7% | 5% | A− |
| 813 | Lake Grove NY | 11,168 | $118K | 8.1% | 5.2% | 3% | A− |
| 814 | Topanga CA | 8,885 | $157K | 6.0% | 7.1% | 6% | A− |
| 815 | Crete IL | 8,345 | $97K | 3.9% | 6.0% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 19% | 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 Lake Grove, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 32% of Lake Grove’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Grove workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Grove | – | A− | A− | 39 min | $118,311 |
| Lake Ronkonkoma | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Centereach | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Smithtown | 9% | A | A− | 32 min | $152,636 |
| Brookhaven | 23% | A− | A− | 32 min | $120,110 |
| Nesconset | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| St. James | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Stony Brook | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Ronkonkoma, Centereach, Nesconset, St. James and Stony Brook: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Brookhaven. Darker towns draw more of Lake Grove’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 Lake Grove: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Grove?
$118,311 (±$14,569) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Grove?
8.1%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Grove?
39 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 Lake Grove work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brookhaven (23%, 8 mi), New York City (20%, 45 mi), Islip (17%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Lake Grove walkable?
Lake Grove is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lake Grove without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lake Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Grove
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.