Judge Gaynor's Country Home, 1900
St. James’s story
170 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900.
- 1856St. James is settled
St. JamesNY
7 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
13,244
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$754K
+7.5% in a year
Household income
$142K
median
Median age
47.4
years
Jobs based here
4,373
A commuter town
Is St. James a good place to live?
St. James’ median rent is $2,218 a month, above both the New York town median ($1,101 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The biggest park or preserve is Olson Memorial Town Park, at 22 acres. We don’t grade St. James yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes St. James stand out
Where St. James beats most towns.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave St. James for work
Where St. James’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4,373jobs based in St. James
6%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Nearby attractions
All 556 attractions →Citi Field and 123 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around St. James. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaCiti Field
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaEtihad Park
37 mi City parkFlushing Meadows–Corona Park
37 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
25 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
37 mi LandmarkUnisphereSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Citi Field: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Etihad Park: Bananza76, CC0 · Flushing Meadows–Corona Park: Flapane, Public domain · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Unisphere: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
Moving to St. James: who provides what
St. James is unincorporated, so Suffolk County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSt James Water DistrictNo 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 codes11780, 1178711780 86% · 11787 14%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 St. James.
Natural hazards
St. James has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 94% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 13 claims in St. James since 1978. FEMA puts 63% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to hurricanes.
6risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
13
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
The typical home in St. James is valued at about $754K
88% of St. James households live in a home they own. Typical home values rose 7.5% in the year to September 2026. A home in St. James typically sold within 24 days of listing.
$754KZillow home value
Typical home value
St. James$754K
New York$525K
Market temperature
24
days on market
104.3%
sale-to-list price
+7.5%
value change, 1 year
17
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
St. James has 0.7 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half commute less than 15 miles. For St. James, the middle household income is $142,000. This New York town had 4,373 jobs in 2023, up 1,362 from 2013. Among residents in the town, 3.3% live below the poverty line.
6%work in town
| St. James | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $142,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In St. James6%
New York21%
Smithtown20%
Islip13%
Brookhaven12%
15 mi
median commute distance
4,373
jobs based in St. James
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In St. James, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 32 inches a winter. Winters in St. James are chilly, snowy and summers pleasant.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–42°
Spring41–59°
Summer64–81°
Fall48–64°
Nov 2
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Older than New York overall
Four-year graduates: 50% of adults 25 and older here, 40% across New York. People 65 and older are 23% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (23% statewide). For St. James, the median age is 47.4 years.
47.4median age · NY 39.8
| St. James | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 47.4 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
St. JamesNew YorkUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school21%
Some college14%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate24%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| St. James | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.8% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.4% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Health
How healthy St. James is
For adults in St. James, the share who report frequent physical distress is 11%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, St. James is ahead of New York on 17 and behind on 1. Two figures for adults locally: 28% feel lonely, 8% smoke cigarettes.
| St. James | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. New York
17 better14 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | St. James | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.7% |
Suny/Stony Brook University Hospital
2.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
St. James keeps 2.5% of its land conserved
Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.9 miles of trail. St. James’ trail density stands at 0.4 miles per square mile.
2.5%conserved
| St. James | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
2.5%
conserved · 74 of 2,905 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Olson Memorial Town Park | 0.1 mi | 22 |
| 2. Gaynor Park | — | 8 |
| 3. East Hill Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St. James
17pages on St. James
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of St. James
Stony Brook UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Stony Brook3.1 mi$10,931 in-state tuitionSuffolk County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Selden5.4 mi$6,630 in-state tuitionFive Towns CollegeUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Dix Hills12.7 mi$30,250 tuition
About 6 of every 100 St. James residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Famous people from St. James
7 notable people were born in St. James.
R
Robert WhiteAmerican sculptor · 1921–2002
J
J. I. AlbrechtAmerican football executive · 1931–2008
About St. James
Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States
St. James is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 13,487 at the 2020 census. St. James is part of the Town of Smithtown and is located on the North Shore of Long Island. The ZIP code is 11780.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 151 ft
- ZIP code
- 11780
St. James’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with St. James.
Head of the HarborSmithtownBrookhavenNesconsetStony BrookVillage of the BranchLake GroveSt. James
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. James | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Head of the Harbor | — | — | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Smithtown | #76 | A | D− | — | A | A |
| Brookhaven | #295 | B | D− | — | B | A− |
| Nesconset | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stony Brook | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of the Branch | — | — | D | — | A | A |
| Lake Grove | #233 | B+ | D− | — | B+ | A |
Head of the Harbor and Village of the Branch have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Head of the Harbor, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Village of the Branch and Lake Grove report no FBI crime data of their own. St. James, Nesconset and Stony Brook aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare St. James with a neighbor →
Questions about St. James
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is St. James, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade St. James yet; the figures below are still real.
What is St. James, NY known for?
7 notable people were born here, including Soledad O'Brien and Robert White.