Suffolk County Route 46 (William Floyd Parkway) - New York, 2010
Ridge’s story
77 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873.
- 1949Ridge is settled
RidgeNY
Home to 12,503 people, the town was settled in 1949.
8 bordering townsMap →
Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
12,503
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$516K
+6.2% in a year
Household income
$79K
median
Median age
52.4
years
Jobs based here
1,729
A commuter town
Is Ridge a good place to live?
35% of residents are 65 or older in Ridge, above both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). 42% of the land in Ridge is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Brookhaven State Park, 1,623 acres with 21.1 miles of trail. We don’t grade Ridge yet; the figures below are still real.
Get outside
53 miles of trails in Ridge
42% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 467 attractions →Yale Bowl and 70 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ridge. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
39 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
4 mi LandmarkCalverton National Cemetery
32 mi National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic Site122K visitors a year
39 mi State parkJones Beach State Park
37 mi MuseumGlass HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Calverton National Cemetery: United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Public domain · Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: Unknown, Public domain · Jones Beach State Park: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glass House: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Ridge: who provides what
Ridge is unincorporated, so Suffolk County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSuffolk County Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSuffolk CountySuffolk County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSuffolk County Board of ElectionsSuffolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes11961, 11786, 1179211961 93% · 11786 4% · 11792 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ridge.
Outdoors
Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, trail density in Ridge is higher
53 miles of trail wind through 11 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Ridge: 11, covering 3,125 acres.
42%conserved
42%
conserved · 3,550 of 8,451 acres
53 mi
of trails · 4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brookhaven State Park | 21.1 mi | 1,623 |
| 2. Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest | 6.5 mi | 611 |
| 3. Robert Cushman Murphy County Park | 4.8 mi | 340 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Who lives here
Ridge is older than the New York average
People 65 and older are just over a third of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). Ridge’s median age is 52.4 years. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 31%, against 40% across New York. 17% of residents are under 18 here.
52.4median age · NY 39.8
| Ridge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.4 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
RidgeNew YorkUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school34%
Some college20%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s17%
Graduate14%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.9 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Ridge | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 17.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.2% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Ridge is inland flooding, at a very low overall level
Expected losses in Ridge break down as 67% from inland flooding and 12% from hurricanes. Compared with 84% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims here since 1991.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 1991
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Ridge’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Brookhaven (35%), New York (16%) and Islip (13%). Commuting out is the norm in Ridge: 4% of working residents work locally. Its average commute stands at 36 minutes. Employers in Ridge shed 3,278 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,729.
4%work in town
| Ridge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ridge4%
Brookhaven35%
New York16%
Islip13%
Riverhead6%
17 mi
median commute distance
1,729
jobs based in Ridge
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Ridge has four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 23°, with about 32 inches of snow a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–42°
Spring39–58°
Summer62–81°
Fall46–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Ridge stands out in New York and nationally: a larger share of its adults had a checkup this year
Ridge: 37% of adults have high blood pressure. The share of adults in Ridge who have been diagnosed with depression: 16%.
| Ridge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 21% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 81% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. New York
15 better12 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Ridge | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.3% | 7.7% |
St. Charles Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The typical home in Ridge: about $516K
Among renter households in Ridge, 38% spend 30% or more of their income on rent. Home values are up 6.2% over the year to September 2026. Its typical rent comes in at $2,044 a month.
$516KZillow home value
| Ridge | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,044 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 90% | 75% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 38% | 49% | 48% |
Typical home value
Ridge$516K
New York$525K
Market temperature
38
days on market
99.7%
sale-to-list price
+6.2%
value change, 1 year
20
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ridge
17pages on Ridge
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ridge
Suffolk County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Selden9.7 mi$6,630 in-state tuitionStony Brook UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Stony Brook12.3 mi$10,931 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Ridge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Ridge for work
Where Ridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,729jobs based in Ridge
4%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ridge
Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States
Ridge is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Brookhaven, in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 13,271 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
- Elevation
- 92 ft
- ZIP code
- 11961
Ridge’s neighbors
8 towns share a border with Ridge.
East ShorehamMiddle IslandRocky PointBrookhavenRiverheadYaphankWading RiverCalvertonRidge
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Shoreham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Middle Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rocky Point | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brookhaven | #295 | B | D− | — | B | A− |
| Riverhead | #649 | C− | D− | C | C− | B |
| Yaphank | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wading River | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Brookhaven reports no FBI crime data of its own. Ridge, East Shoreham, Middle Island, Rocky Point, Yaphank and Wading River aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ridge with a neighbor →
Questions about Ridge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ridge, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Ridge yet; the figures below are still real.