Most of Laurel commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
For 32% of workers, the job is at home, next to 15% for New York as a whole. There are 360 jobs in Laurel; 664 of its residents have a job. Only 3% stay in Laurel for work; outside it, Southold is the main destination (26%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Laurel, in a few figures
Laurel’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Laurel is New York City, 76 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (96) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Home offices are common in Laurel
32% of Laurel workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from Laurel are quick
The average trip to work takes 24 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 69 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; with 664 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Short hops and long hauls from Laurel
About 26% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 24 minutes each way, quicker than most of New York
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Laurel workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 471 commuters (the 32% 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.
A workday in Laurel: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 642 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 338 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Laurel on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
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 Laurel’s working residents head each day
Where Laurel clocks in
26% of workers
14% of workers
14% 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.
Goods, not services: 31% of the jobs in Laurel
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Laurel, 2013 → 2023: 333 → 360. 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 Laurel’s own residents hold wherever they work.
14% of Laurel works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Laurel workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel | – | — | — | 24 min | $138,726 |
| Mattituck | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Jamesport | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| Riverhead | 14% | B | B+ | 28 min | $94,249 |
Same-state neighbors only. Mattituck and Jamesport: 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 Riverhead. Darker towns draw more of Laurel’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 Laurel: questions
What is the median household income in Laurel?
$138,726 (±$32,490) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Laurel?
12.9%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Laurel?
24 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Laurel work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Southold (26%, 17 mi), New York City (14%, 76 mi), Riverhead (14%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Laurel without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Laurel, from the people who make the trip.
More of Laurel
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.