73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Water Mill, above both the New York town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Of the 266 New York towns we compare, none has a higher midpoint home value than Water Mill. We don’t grade Water Mill yet; the figures below are still real.

A growing town

Water Mill has grown 61% from 2010 to 2020

1,559 counted in 2010 and 2,506 in 2020.

1,5592010

2,5062020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

Part of Town of Southampton, 1915

Water Mill’s story

160 years in pictures

The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 3 maps from 1903 on.

1866Water Mill is settled

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Water Mill: who provides what

Water Mill is unincorporated, so Suffolk County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPSEG Long Island26.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterSuffolk County Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet3 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesSuffolk CountySuffolk County provides services here

SchoolsSouthampton Union Free School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereSuffolk County Board of ElectionsSuffolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024

ZIP codes11976, 1196811976 93% · 11968 7%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 Water Mill.

Housing

Water Mill stands out in New York and nationally, with the median rent higher than most

Typical home values rose 8.5% in the year to September 2026. Water Mill: 94% of households live in a home they own. The typical home value locally is about $4,837,000, up 8.5% in a year, 9 times the New York typical home.

$4.84MZillow home value

	Water Mill	New York towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$3,200 a month	$1,101 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	94%	75%	73%

Typical home value

Water Mill$4.84M

New York$525K

+8.5%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in September

Full pageWater Mill’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 8.5% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 25.9 years of income Rents$3,200 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighbors3 bordering towns

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Natural hazards

Water Mill faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

69% of Water Mill’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 21%. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in 93% of U.S. communities. 24 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 2005.

7risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingHurricanes

paid flood claims since 2005

Full pageWater Mill’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims24 paid flood claims · Since 2005 Past disasters28 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready3.5 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Water Mill: four seasons and pleasant summers

The range runs from 23° on a January night to 81° on a July afternoon, with about 27 inches of snow a winter.

27″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter25–42°

Spring39–57°

Summer62–79°

Fall46–64°

Oct 24

typical first frost

Apr 23

typical last frost

+1.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageWater Mill’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 81°, January lows 23°Rain & snow27″ of snow a winter · 45 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

About one in three of Water Mill’s working residents commute to Southampton

For Water Mill, the average trip to work is 19 minutes. Only 4% of working residents stay in Water Mill for work; the rest commute out. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Water Mill dropped by 321, to 1,160. The share of residents in Water Mill who live below the poverty line: 3.6%.

4%work in town

	Water Mill	New York towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	19 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	3.6%	9.5%	9.6%
Working residents who work in town	4.4%	10%	8%

Where working residents work

In Water Mill4%

Southampton33%

New York20%

East Hampton9%

Brookhaven5%

37 mi

median commute distance

1,160

jobs based in Water Mill

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageWater Mill’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here1,160 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work4% work in Water Mill Commute times19 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 37 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

A smaller share of adults feel lonely in Water Mill than in most of New York or the rest of the country

Just over one in ten adults report frequent physical distress in Water Mill. Of 32 CDC measures, Water Mill beats the New York average on 21 and trails it on 3. In Water Mill, 12% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 16% have been diagnosed with depression.

	Water Mill	New York towns	U.S. towns
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	25%	32%	33%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	12%	16%	17%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	16%	21%	23%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	7%	13%	14%

32 measures vs. New York

21 better8 too close to call3 worse

What stands out	Water Mill	NY
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	4.3%	12.8%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	6.9%	17.2%
More adults who have had cancer	11.5%	7.7%

Peconic Bay Medical Center

15.4 mi away · emergency room

None

primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

Full pageWater Mill’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby15.4 miles to an ER · Peconic Bay Medical Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NY on 21 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Conservation land takes up 3.9% of Water Mill

3.4 miles of trail. For Water Mill, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.

3.9%conserved

	Water Mill	New York towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.3 miles per square mile	0.4	0.4
Conserved land	3.9%	5.2%	4.3%

3.9%

conserved · 321 of 8,140 acres

3.4 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Full pageWater Mill’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map3.4 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walkPick a walk Conserved land3.9% conserved · 321 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Water Mill?”

Nearby attractions

Gillette Castle State Park and 31 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Water Mill. Close and well known come first.

All 90 attractions →

35 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park

27 mi State parkCamp Hero State Park

28 mi LighthouseMontauk Point Light

in town MuseumParrish Art Museum30K visitors a year

24 mi LandmarkCalverton National Cemetery

36 mi MuseumMystic Seaport

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Camp Hero State Park: Transpoman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Montauk Point Light: Wolfgang Wander, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Parrish Art Museum: Americasroof, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Calverton National Cemetery: United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Public domain · Mystic Seaport: Joethon, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Water Mill

16pages on Water Mill

The big questions

HealthBetter than NY on 21 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$4.84M typical home · up 8.5% in a year Work & commute$187K median household income · 1,160 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 7% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors3 mi of trails · 4% conserved land PlacesAttractions90 nearby · Parrish Art Museum under 1 mi LibraryThe Hampton Library in Bridgehampton Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1866 Climate81° summer highs · 27″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 11976 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Water Mill; the nearest are

University of Connecticut-Avery PointUniversity or college · Public · Groton, CT31 mi$18,140 in-state tuition Suffolk County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Selden37.2 mi$6,630 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Water Mill residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Water Mill

Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States

Water Mill is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Southampton on Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Water Mill had a population of 2,506. Its ZIP Code is 11976. As of 2024, Water Mill is the third most expensive ZIP Code in the United States and the second most expensive ZIP code in New York State. The median home price was $5,885,000.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)