Census-designated place · Suffolk County, New York

Centereach, New York

Centereach is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 31,839 residents. Centereach, New York has a quality-of-life score of 92 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,242 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #230 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on child poverty rate (low), violent crime rate (low) and food environment index (high). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), effective property tax rate (high) and high ozone days (high).

92Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,242 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #230 of 859 in NY
Population: 31,839 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 3,570.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 3613376

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety97#468/15,637
Economy91#1,418/15,631
Housing3#14,485/14,977
Health91#1,479/15,609
Healthcare86#2,236/15,650
Environment80#3,045/15,453
Education87#2,024/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,915/15,650
Community81#3,002/15,651
Leisure & amenities92#1,249/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Centereach, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Suffolk County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child poverty rate · low2.9%
98/100New York 17.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Violent crime rate · low54 /100k
97/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2023Federal Bureau of InvestigationSuffolk County value
Food environment index · high9.4
96/100New York 8.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSuffolk County value
Firearm deaths · low3.1 /100k
96/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSuffolk County value
Depression · low16.9%
95/100New York 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Suicide rate · low7.4 /100k
94/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSuffolk County value

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high32.0 min
4/100New York 32.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · high2.09%
6/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
High ozone days · high10 days
7/100New York 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySuffolk County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high229 min
9/100New York 202 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSuffolk County value
Rent-burdened households · high64.8%
9/100New York 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high49.9%
19/100New York 31.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent as share of incomeWorsening
35.2% (2015-2019) → 49.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
55.7% (2015-2019) → 64.8% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
29.7% (2015-2019) → 35.5% (2020-2024)
+5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
8.2% (2015-2019) → 2.9% (2020-2024)
−5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$107,184 (2015-2019) → $132,240 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 3.9× (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Centereach, New York improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Property tax−0.4 points2.53% → 2.09%
Bachelor's++5.8 points29.7% → 35.5%
Child poverty−5.4 points8.2% → 2.9%
Household income+23%$107,184 → $132,240

Declined2

Price / income+0.7×3.2× → 3.9×
Transit use−2.9 points4.0% → 1.1%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Centereach, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.1 min2015-2019	31.9 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.7%2015-2019	35.5%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Improved	73%
Broadband subscriptions	91.1%2015-2019	95.1%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Child poverty rate	8.2%2015-2019	2.9%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	2.53%2015-2019	2.09%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Improved	87%
High school diploma or higher	92.3%2015-2019	92.9%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	38%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3782015-2019	0.3712020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	57%
Median household income	$107,1842015-2019	$132,2402020-2024	+23%	Improved	40%
Poverty rate	5.4%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Public transit commuters	4.0%2015-2019	1.1%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Declined	11%
Rent as share of income	35.2%2015-2019	49.9%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Rent-burdened households	55.7%2015-2019	64.8%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Unemployment rate	5.4%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.1%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Centereach, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Centereach, New York in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Centereach, New York itself moved −3.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

31,839 residents (±1,924)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

9,676 households (±491)

Centereach, New York
New York share

Under $25k5.2%502
$25k–50k8.1%†782
$50k–75k11%1,050

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

9,676 households (±491)

Centereach, New York
New York share

Own87%8,370
Rent13%1,306

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

15,461 workers (±1,060)

Centereach, New York
New York share

Drive alone77%11,861
Carpool8.7%1,345
Public transit1.1%†170

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Suffolk County, the county holding most of Centereach's residents.

Suffolk County has 50,748 employer establishments, 331 for every 10,000 residents (1.33× the US rate of 248; 1.21× New York's), with 592,580 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,370. The Census Bureau also counts 163,751 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 50,748; 163,751 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 331; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 592,580
Average annual pay: $66,370; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Suffolk County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	5,078	33.1	2.14×More than typical	34,562	$80,377	9,570
Ambulatory health care services	3,732	24.3	1.17×About typical	46,415	$66,273	8,939
Restaurants and other eating places	3,479	22.7	1.24×About typical	47,645	$30,272	654
Services to buildings and dwellings	2,687	17.5	2.60×More than typical	16,265	$55,504	8,278
Construction of buildings	2,624	17.1	2.26×More than typical	9,875	$73,186	5,364
Building equipment contractors	1,992	13	2.16×More than typical	15,769	$82,196	1,910
Lessors of real estate	1,787	11.7	0.95×About typical	5,656	$67,296	22,445
Landscaping services	1,745	11.4	3.25×More than typical	7,634	$70,710	2,426
Building finishing contractors	1,579	10.3	2.71×More than typical	7,248	$71,795	3,376
Personal care services	1,544	10.1	2.11×More than typical	6,832	$23,121	4,045
Limited-service restaurants	1,486	9.7	1.21×About typical	17,568	$23,913	228
Full-service restaurants	1,393	9.1	1.18×About typical	24,180	$36,568	261

Rank places for an industry Open Suffolk County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,533,173 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Centereach, New York: $46.83 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.5M; −31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $46.83; US $1,994
Sole-source: 51%; US 30%
Single offer: 24%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$1.2M81%
Department of the Navy$188.4K13%
Federal Aviation Administration$56.9K3.8%
U.S. Coast Guard$27.3K1.8%
U.S. Geological Survey$18.9K1.3%
U.S. Marshals Service$7,9270.5%
Federal Bureau of Investigation$5,1740.3%
United States Mint$1,5100.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.1MFY2017
3.8MFY2018
2.8MFY2019
2.4MFY2020
1.5MFY2021
2.1MFY2022
1.3MFY2023
1.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$880.1K59%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$250.7K17%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$135.1K9.1%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$45.1K3.0%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$30.4K2.0%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Centereach, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Centereach, New York's figures are part of those of Suffolk County, NY ($1.7B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Centereach is mostly in Suffolk County.

See federal money in Suffolk County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Centereach, New York is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Kirsten E. Gillibrand

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Suffolk County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68

Other cities and towns in Suffolk County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3613376

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends