Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Smithtown have higher incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 0.3 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 79.0 in New York City. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 14.0% for New York as a whole. Smithtown grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Smithtown apart
Smithtown’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Smithtown is New York City, 44 miles away as the crow flies. 21% of working residents (11,925) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Smithtown trades workers with the towns around it
Smithtown has about as many jobs (63,452) as working residents (56,286), but they are mostly different people: 47,229 residents leave for work each day while 54,395 people come in. Only 14% of the jobs in Smithtown are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Smithtown works one town over
33% of working residents work in a town that borders Smithtown: Islip (13%), Huntington (11%) and Brookhaven (9%). Next door ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Smithtown
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Smithtown is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #45 of 758 in New York. Household income is its strongest input ($152,636, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Smithtown could be anywhere from A to A+.
Short hops and long hauls from Smithtown
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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Smithtown
On a workday 47,229 residents head out to work, 9,057 work right here, and 54,395 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.13 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.
21% of working residents work in New York City
Where Smithtown clocks in
21% of workers
13% 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.
Inside Smithtown’s 63,452 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smithtown, 2013 → 2023: 54,224 → 63,452. 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 Smithtown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Smithtown: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smithtown workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 49,085 commuters (the 17% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Smithtown
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Smithtown is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #245 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Smithtown near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 58,785 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 8% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 47% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.9% of Smithtown households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Smithtown’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Smithtown is 10th of 359 U.S. towns of 82,000 to 158,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| 9 | Highlands Ranch CO | 102,257 | $159K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 9% | A |
| 10 | Smithtown NY | 116,847 | $153K | 4.2% | 3.9% | 16% | A |
| 11 | Sandy UT | 92,386 | $112K | 5.5% | 2.6% | 13% | A |
| 12 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Greenburgh NY | 94,537 | $152K | 5.8% | 5.2% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Colonie NY | 86,837 | $102K | 7.3% | 3.2% | 25% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 71 | Clarkstown NY | 89,659 | $137K | 6.5% | 5.8% | 19% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 359 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Smithtown, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
33% of Smithtown works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Islip (13%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Smithtown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithtown | – | A | A− | 32 min | $152,636 |
| Huntington | 11% | A | A | 35 min | $168,029 |
| Brookhaven | 9% | A− | A− | 32 min | $120,110 |
| Islip | 13% | A | A− | 28 min | $130,132 |
| Stony Brook | under 1% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Head of the Harbor | under 1% | A+ | B+ | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Lake Ronkonkoma | under 1% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Brentwood | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| East Northport | under 1% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Hauppauge | under 1% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Stony Brook, Lake Ronkonkoma, Brentwood, East Northport and Hauppauge: 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 Smithtown’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 Smithtown: questions
What is the median household income in Smithtown?
$152,636 (±$4,356) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Smithtown?
4.2%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smithtown?
32 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smithtown work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (21%, 44 mi), Islip (13%, 14 mi), Huntington (11%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Smithtown walkable?
Smithtown is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Smithtown without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Smithtown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smithtown
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.