Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Wantagh commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
Employers in Wantagh report 4,368 jobs; 9,225 of its residents have a job. Only 5% stay in Wantagh for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (33%, 22 miles). The trip to work takes 34 minutes on average, where New York has 33 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Wantagh, in a few figures
One in three of Wantagh works in New York City
3,078 working residents, 33%, have their main job in New York City, 22 miles away. That’s 7 times as many as work in Wantagh itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Wantagh
74% of Wantagh residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 53% of the jobs based in Wantagh pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
Where Wantagh’s working residents head each day
Where Wantagh clocks in
33% of workers
28% of workers
10% 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.
The kinds of work in Wantagh
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wantagh, 2013 → 2023: 4,567 → 4,368. 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 Wantagh’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Wantagh
On a workday 8,754 residents head out to work, 471 work right here, and 3,897 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Wantagh on a workday afternoon, 26% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Each way, about 34 minutes from Wantagh
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wantagh workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,449 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.
How far Wantagh’s workers travel
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.
Wantagh and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wantagh workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wantagh | – | — | — | 34 min | $179,362 |
| Bellmore | under 1% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Seaford | under 1% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| North Wantagh | under 1% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| North Bellmore | under 1% | — | — | 36 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Bellmore, Seaford, North Wantagh and North Bellmore: 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 Wantagh’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 Wantagh: questions
What is the median household income in Wantagh?
$179,362 (±$20,917) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wantagh?
3.1%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wantagh?
34 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wantagh work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (33%, 22 mi), Hempstead (28%, 6 mi), Oyster Bay (10%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wantagh without a car?
14% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wantagh, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wantagh
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.