Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Port Jefferson earns an A, 63rd among New York's 745 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country, the median household earns $145K, and its public schools beat 91% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $774K, 7.8 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Port Jefferson, against 32% in New York’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 52 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on hazard risk. Port Jefferson is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Port Jefferson beats most towns.
Coastal flooding makes up 15% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Port Jefferson is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,724 in 1880, 7,962 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1834 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Jefferson. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
26 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
23 mi National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic Site122K visitors a year
28 mi MuseumGlass House
34 mi State parkJones Beach State Park
33 mi Theme parkPlaylandNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: Unknown, Public domain · Glass House: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Jones Beach State Park: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Playland: ChangChienFu at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port Jefferson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Port Jefferson.
Port Jefferson has less tooth loss than most of New York, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New York and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its widest gap with New York is tooth loss: 4.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.8% statewide.
27% of Port Jefferson adults feel lonely. Port Jefferson beats the New York average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of Port Jefferson adults report frequent mental distress.
| Port Jefferson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.1% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Port Jefferson | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 12.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
74 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 74 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Port Jefferson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.8 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $774K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
The median rent in Port Jefferson is $2,349 a month. Typical home values rose 7.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Port Jefferson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,349 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Port Jefferson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Joe Erland Field | — | 4 |
| 2. Harborfront Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Rocketship Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Port Jefferson has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 24° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 6,473 in 2013 to 4,197.
Most working residents leave Port Jefferson for work: only 8% work in town. Port Jefferson’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Port Jefferson has lost 2,276 jobs, to 4,197 in 2023.
| Port Jefferson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $145,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Port Jefferson
About 7 of every 100 Port Jefferson residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
20 notable people were born in Port Jefferson.
Village in New York, United States
Port Jefferson, sometimes shortened as Port Jeff, is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,962 at the time of the 2020 census. Port Jefferson was first settled in the 17th century and remained a rural community until its development as an active shipbuilding center in the mid-19th century. The village has since transitioned to a tourist-based economy. The community's port remains active as the terminus of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry – one of two commercial ferry lines between Long Island and Connecticut – and is supplemented by the terminus of the Long Island Rail Roa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Port Jefferson.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Jefferson | #63 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Mount Sinai | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Belle Terre | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Setauket | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Port Jefferson Station | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Port Jefferson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Mount Sinai, Belle Terre, East Setauket and Port Jefferson Station aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Port Jefferson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Port Jefferson grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #63 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
20 notable people were born here, including Ted Chiang and Dan Gurney.
