Frank Walker with wife and son, 1924, 1924
Wantagh’s story
135 years in pictures
Census counts: 18,971 in 2000, 18,613 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 7 maps from 1897 on.
- 1891Wantagh is settled
WantaghNY
Settled in 1891, this town now has 18,365 residents.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
18,365
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$817K
+5.9% in a year
Household income
$179K
median
Median age
41.2
years
Jobs based here
4,368
A commuter town
Is Wantagh a good place to live?
Wantagh’s typical rent is $2,270 a month, above both New York’s towns ($1,101 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 15% of the land in Wantagh is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is Cedar Creek Park, at 232 acres. We don’t grade Wantagh yet; the figures below are still real.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Wantagh for work
Where Wantagh’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4,368jobs based in Wantagh
5%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Nearby attractions
All 589 attractions →Central Park and 502 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wantagh. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw26 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw25 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw26 mi BeachConey IslandSources: 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 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Wantagh: who provides what
Wantagh is unincorporated, so Nassau County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLiberty Utilities New York - Merrick3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesNassau CountyNassau County provides services here
SchoolsBellmore-Merrick Central High School DistrictWantagh Union Free School District2 districts serve Wantagh; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 code1179311793 99%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 Wantagh.
Housing
Wantagh stands out in New York and nationally: a larger share of its households are owner-occupiers
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 5.9%. Wantagh: 31% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. 75% of the homes sold in Wantagh went for more than their asking price.
$817KZillow home value
| Wantagh | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 75% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 31% | 49% | 48% |
Typical home value
Wantagh$817K
New York$525K
Market temperature
18
days on market
106%
sale-to-list price
+5.9%
value change, 1 year
12
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Wantagh has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most people who work leave Wantagh to do it: just 5% work in town. The mean commuting time for Wantagh comes to 34 minutes. Half commute less than 12 miles. The share of residents in Wantagh who live below the poverty line: 3.1%.
5%work in town
| Wantagh | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $179,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Wantagh5%
New York33%
Hempstead28%
Oyster Bay10%
North Hempstead9%
12 mi
median commute distance
4,368
jobs based in Wantagh
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in Wantagh brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 26°, with about 26 inches of snow a winter.
26″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–43°
Spring42–60°
Summer65–82°
Fall48–65°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Apr 3
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Outdoors
Open space protected for good: 14.7% of Wantagh
1.8 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Wantagh’s trail density comes in at 0.4 miles per square mile.
14.7%conserved
14.7%
conserved · 385 of 2,626 acres
1.8 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Twin Lakes Preserve | 1.6 mi | 210 |
| 2. Cedar Creek Park | 0.1 mi | 232 |
| 3. Wantagh Park | — | 154 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Health
How healthy Wantagh is
16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Wantagh. Of 32 CDC measures, Wantagh beats the New York average on 20 and trails it on 1. In Wantagh, 8.2% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 11% report frequent physical distress.
| Wantagh | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 21% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. New York
20 better11 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Wantagh | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.1% | 12.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.4% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
Chsli St. Joseph Hospital
4.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Wantagh: inland flooding
854 flood insurance claims have been paid in Wantagh since 1978. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 74% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 8% to hurricanes.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
854
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wantagh
17pages on Wantagh
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
18 within 15 miles of the center of Wantagh
Hofstra UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hempstead5.8 mi$57,660 tuitionNassau Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Garden City6.1 mi$6,330 in-state tuitionFarmingdale State CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Farmingdale7.4 mi$8,626 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Wantagh residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Famous people from Wantagh
6 notable people were born in Wantagh.
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About Wantagh
Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States
Wantagh ( won-TAW) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,613 at the time of the 2020 census. Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones Beach".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 23 ft
- ZIP code
- 11793
- Area code
- 516
Wantagh’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Wantagh.
BellmoreSeafordNorth WantaghNorth BellmoreWantagh
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wantagh | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bellmore | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seaford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Wantagh | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Bellmore | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wantagh, Bellmore, Seaford, North Wantagh and North Bellmore aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wantagh with a neighbor →
Questions about Wantagh
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wantagh, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Wantagh yet; the figures below are still real.
What is Wantagh, NY known for?
6 notable people were born here, including Lonny Ross and Gian Villante.