Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Plainview
For 24% of workers, the job is at home (New York 15%). Only 8% work in Plainview; the top destination outside it is New York City (34%, 26 miles). Commuters spend 35 minutes getting to work on average, where New York has 33 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Plainview in brief
One in three of Plainview works in New York City
4,259 working residents, 34%, have their main job in New York City, 26 miles away. That’s 4 times as many as work in Plainview itself. The commute map ↓
A lot of Plainview works from home
24% of Plainview workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
Plainview gains people on a workday
About 31,000 people are in Plainview on a workday afternoon, 20% more than the 26,000 who live here: 17,000 come in to work and 12,000 head out. Day and night ↓
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 towns that employ Plainview’s residents
Where Plainview clocks in
34% of workers
21% of workers
11% 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.
Commuting from Plainview: about 35 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Plainview workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,549 commuters (the 24% 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 Plainview: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 11,527 residents head out to work, 990 work right here, and 16,750 people come in from elsewhere.
About 31,000 people are in Plainview on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 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.
66% of the jobs in Plainview pay over $3,333 a month
17,740 jobs are based in Plainview.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Plainview, 2013 → 2023: 22,413 → 17,740. 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 Plainview’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Plainview’s workers travel
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.
Next door to Plainview
The biggest share goes to Huntington (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Plainview workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainview | – | — | — | 35 min | $189,906 |
| Bethpage | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Woodbury | under 1% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Old Bethpage | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Melville | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Huntington | 7% | A | A | 35 min | $168,029 |
| Syosset | under 1% | — | — | 41 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Bethpage, Woodbury, Old Bethpage, Melville and Syosset: 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 Plainview’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 Plainview: questions
What is the median household income in Plainview?
$189,906 (±$15,111) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Plainview?
2.9%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Plainview?
35 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Plainview work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (34%, 26 mi), Oyster Bay (21%, 2 mi), Hempstead (11%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Plainview without a car?
13% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Plainview, from the people who make the trip.
More of Plainview
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.