Lake Side House, 1908
Setauket’s story
371 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1834.
- 1655Setauket is founded
SetauketNY
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Iracaz · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
4,069
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$872K
+8.3% in a year
Household income
$222K
median
Median age
42.4
years
Jobs based here
968
A commuter town
Is Setauket a good place to live?
70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Setauket, above both New York’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). The biggest park or preserve is Little Bay State Tidal Wetland, at 62 acres. We don’t grade Setauket yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Setauket stand out
Where Setauket beats most towns.
Nearby attractions
All 570 attractions →Ferncliff Cemetery and 98 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Setauket. Close and well known come first.
38 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
30 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
26 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
20 mi National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic Site122K visitors a year
25 mi MuseumGlass House
32 mi State parkJones Beach State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nassau 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
Getting set up
Moving to Setauket: who provides what
Setauket 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 codes11733, 1179011733 91% · 11790 9%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 Setauket.
Housing
Setauket stands out in New York and nationally: the median rent there is higher
Homes in Setauket are typically worth about $872,000, up 8.3% in a year, 66% above the New York typical home. Four fifths of Setauket households own their home.
$872KZillow home value
| Setauket | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Setauket$872K
New York$525K
+8.3%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Very low risk in Setauket, with inland flooding at the top
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 96% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Setauket break down as 65% from inland flooding and 16% from hurricanes.
4risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
In Setauket, the median household income runs higher than in the typical New York or U.S. town
Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles. For residents in Setauket, the share who live below the poverty line is 6.1%. Jobs based locally fell to 968 in 2023, 122 fewer than in 2013. Most people who work leave Setauket to do it: just 5% work in town.
5%work in town
| Setauket | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $222,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Setauket5%
Brookhaven35%
New York17%
Islip14%
Smithtown9%
12 mi
median commute distance
968
jobs based in Setauket
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Setauket: four seasons and pleasant summers
For Setauket, the peak summer temperature is 83°F.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–42°
Spring41–59°
Summer64–81°
Fall48–64°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Setauket is
Among 756 New York towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Setauket. Against the New York average, Setauket comes out ahead on 23 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 2. In Setauket, one in ten adults report frequent physical distress.
| Setauket | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.2% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
23 better7 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Setauket | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.6% | 12.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.3% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 7.7% |
John T Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson
2.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Setauket has set aside 5.9% of its land for conservation
In 5 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.4 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Setauket: 5, covering 122 acres.
5.9%conserved
| Setauket | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
5.9%
conserved · 123 of 2,085 acres
1.4 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Frank Melville Memorial Preserve | 0.6 mi | 10 |
| 2. Frank Melville Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. Little Bay State Tidal Wetland | — | 62 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Setauket
16pages on Setauket
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Setauket
Stony Brook UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Stony Brook2.9 mi$10,931 in-state tuitionSuffolk County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Selden8 mi$6,630 in-state tuitionPaier CollegeUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Bridgeport, CT14.9 mi
About 6 of every 100 Setauket residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Setauket for work
Where Setauket’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
968jobs based in Setauket
5%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Setauket
Hamlet and Census-designated place in New York, United States
Setauket is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 census, Setauket had a population of 3,986. Setauket was founded in 1655, the first settlement in what would become the town of Brookhaven. Before the 2020 census, the community was part of the Setauket-East Setauket CDP. The area was split in 2020 into two separate CDPs: Setauket and East Setauket despite many in the community still considering it one locality. Setauket was founded as an agricultural community in the mid-17th century, and was a regional center of activity during the American Revolutionary War, noted for…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
Setauket’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Setauket.
Old FieldEast SetauketStony BrookPoquottStony Brook UniversitySetauket
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setauket | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Old Field | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Setauket | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stony Brook | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poquott | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stony Brook University | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Setauket, Old Field, East Setauket, Stony Brook, Poquott and Stony Brook University aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Setauket with a neighbor →
Questions about Setauket
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Setauket, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Setauket yet; the figures below are still real.