Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Jobs and the daily commute in Water Mill
Only 4% stay in Water Mill for work; outside it, Southampton is the main destination (33%, 6 miles). Working from home is the commute for 38% of workers, against 15% across New York. The average commute takes 19 minutes each way, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Water Mill stands out on work
Water Mill’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Water Mill is New York City, 85 miles away as the crow flies. 20% of working residents (164) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Home offices are common in Water Mill
38% of Water Mill workers work from home, against 15% across New York. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from Water Mill are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 107 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker, and quicker than any town next door (22 to 27 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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; with 833 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How far it is to work from Water Mill
About 40% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Each way, about 19 minutes from Water Mill
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Water Mill workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 920 commuters (the 38% 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.
Who works in Water Mill, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 796 residents head out to work, 37 work right here, and 1,123 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,100 people are in Water Mill on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.39 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.
The towns that employ Water Mill’s residents
Where Water Mill clocks in
33% of workers
20% of workers
9% 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.
75% of the jobs in Water Mill pay over $3,333 a month
1,160 jobs are based in Water Mill.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Water Mill, 2013 → 2023: 1,481 → 1,160. 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 Water Mill’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Water Mill and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Water Mill workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Mill | – | — | — | 19 min | $186,875 |
| Bridgehampton | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| North Sea | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Southampton | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 22 min | $214,032 |
Same-state neighbors only. Bridgehampton and North Sea: 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 Water Mill’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 Water Mill: questions
What is the median household income in Water Mill?
$186,875 (±$94,186) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Water Mill?
3.6%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Water Mill?
19 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 38% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Water Mill work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Southampton (33%, 6 mi), New York City (20%, 85 mi), East Hampton (9%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Water Mill without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Water Mill, from the people who make the trip.
More of Water Mill
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.