The Old Kissam homestead, 1905
Sea Cliff’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 554 in 1880, 5,062 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1834 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
- 1880Sea Cliff is settled
Sea CliffNY
A town of 5,031, settled in 1880.
6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
5,031
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Typical home
$1.14M
+9.9% in a year
Household income
$194K
median
Median age
40.5
years
Jobs based here
1,773
Balanced
TownGrade
A+
#50 of 745 in NY
Why does Sea Cliff grade so well?
Because it does well by almost any measure. Sea Cliff earns an A+, 50th among New York's 745 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, its public schools beat 96% of New York towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $194K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.1 million for a typical one and 11.5 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Sea Cliff’s median rent is $2,315 a month, against $1,098 a month in New York’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Only 20 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on hazard risk.
What makes Sea Cliff stand out
Where Sea Cliff beats most towns.
WalkabilityA+
More walkable than 99% of U.S. towns
13% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA+
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
32 measures vs. New York
21 better10 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Sea Cliff | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 17.2% |
HealthA+
Beats NY on 21 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 1
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
How Sea Cliff grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Sea Cliff is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 14.9 of 20; 2.1% of households have no carA+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 3% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →Cost of livingD−Open →HealthNorthwell Hospital Glen Cove 2.3 miles awayA+Open →SchoolsA+Open →Jobs & income1,773 jobs based hereAOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 2% conserved landB−Open →History6 notable people born hereA−Open →Civic life7 library visits per resident; 7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.5; 61% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 607 attractions →Central Park and 516 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sea Cliff. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw17 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaYankee Stadium
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sea Cliff: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sea Cliff, and how to reach them.
PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLiberty Utilities New York - Sea CliffNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sea Cliff’s trash rules yet
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 hereNassau County Board of ElectionsNassau County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code1157911579 100%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 Sea Cliff.
Sea Cliff has less food insecurity than most of New York and has household incomes well above the New York norm, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New York.
HousingCost of living grade D−
Sea Cliff earns a D− for cost of living
At 11.5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $1.14M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
A typical home in Sea Cliff is worth about $1,136,000, up 9.9% in a year, about twice the New York typical home. The share of households in Sea Cliff who are owner-occupiers: 77%.
$1.14MZillow home value
Typical home value
Sea Cliff$1.14M
New York$525K
+9.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA+
Sea Cliff earns an A+ for health
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 6.7% of its 4,002 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide. Against the 1,057 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sea Cliff’s, it is healthier than 70%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Sea Cliff: 12% of adults report frequent mental distress. 15% of Sea Cliff adults have been diagnosed with depression.
98%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Sea Cliff | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
21 better10 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Sea Cliff | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.7% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.7% |
Northwell Hospital Glen Cove
2.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
95th
percentile among NY towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Sea Cliff faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Compared with 97% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Sea Cliff is lower. Since 1978, Sea Cliff has seen 25 flood insurance claims paid out. 60% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 14%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Sea Cliff after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
3risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
25
paid flood claims since 1978
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Sea Cliff
The peak summer temperature in Sea Cliff is 85°F.
19″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–42°
Spring43–60°
Summer66–83°
Fall50–65°
Nov 12
typical first frost
Apr 2
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
A smaller share of residents live below the poverty line in Sea Cliff than in most of New York or the rest of the country
27.6% of workers work from home, against 14.9% across New York.
The top destinations are New York (33%), North Hempstead (18%) and Oyster Bay (16%). Sea Cliff’s average commute stands at 36 minutes. For most workers, Sea Cliff is a place to come home to: only 7% work in town.
7%work in town
| Sea Cliff | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $194,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 0.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.4% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sea Cliff7%
New York33%
North Hempstead18%
Oyster Bay16%
Hempstead10%
12 mi
median commute distance
1,773
jobs based in Sea Cliff
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: among the most walkable U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB−
Conserved land covers 1.6% of Sea Cliff
0.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. In Sea Cliff, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.
1.6%conserved
| Sea Cliff | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
1.6%
conserved · 20 of 1,248 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harry Tappen Beach, Pool & Marina | — | 8 |
| 2. Clifton Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Prospect Avenue Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sea Cliff
19pages on Sea Cliff
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
40 within 15 miles of the center of Sea Cliff
Webb InstituteUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Glen Cove2.7 mi$63,214 tuitionSUNY Old WestburyUniversity or college · Public · Old Westbury5.2 mi$8,422 in-state tuitionCUNY Queensborough Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Bayside8.4 mi$5,210 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Sea Cliff residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Famous people from Sea Cliff
6 notable people were born in Sea Cliff.
J
Joshua ZemanAmerican documentary film director, writer and producerO
Orison Swett Marden, Jr.American lawyer · 1906–1940
About Sea Cliff
Village in New York, United States
Sea Cliff is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the greater Glen Cove area, which is anchored by the City of Glen Cove. The population was 5,062 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1883
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 187 ft
- ZIP code
- 11579
Sea Cliff’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Sea Cliff.
Oyster BayGlen CoveGlen HeadGlenwood LandingNorth HempsteadPort WashingtonSea Cliff
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Cliff | #50 | A+ | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Oyster Bay | — | — | D− | — | — | A+ |
| Glen Cove | #348 | B | D− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Glen Head | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glenwood Landing | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Hempstead | #44 | A+ | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Port Washington | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Sea Cliff, Oyster Bay and North Hempstead report no FBI crime data of their own. Oyster Bay, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and Port Washington aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sea Cliff with a neighbor →
Questions about Sea Cliff
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sea Cliff, NY a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Sea Cliff grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #50 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Sea Cliff, NY expensive?
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−.
What is Sea Cliff, NY known for?
6 notable people were born here, including Kate McKinnon and Boris Jordan.