Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0For about half of its working residents, Montauk is a commute to East Hampton
About one in three stay in Montauk for work; outside it, East Hampton is the main destination (48%, 9 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 23 minutes (New York 33, U.S. 26). Employers in Montauk report 1,464 jobs, against 1,770 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Montauk, in brief
Montauk’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Montauk is New York City, 108 miles away as the crow flies. 15% of working residents (271) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Montauk are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
43% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
Short hops and long hauls from Montauk
About 43% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily trip from Montauk: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Montauk workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,687 commuters (the 20% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 1,137 residents head out to work, 633 work right here, and 831 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 (0.83 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.
Out of Montauk to work: where people go
Where Montauk clocks in
48% of workers
15% of workers
4% 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.
68% of the jobs in Montauk pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Montauk, 2014 → 2024: 1,224 → 1,464. 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 Montauk’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Montauk
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Montauk workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montauk | – | — | — | 23 min | $142,961 |
| Napeague | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Napeague: 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 Montauk’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 Montauk: questions
What is the median household income in Montauk?
$142,961 (±$35,566) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Montauk?
6.1%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Montauk?
23 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Montauk work?
36% work in town.
Can you get around Montauk without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Montauk, from the people who make the trip.
More of Montauk
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.