Census-designated place · Suffolk County, New York

Central Islip, New York

Central Islip is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 38,373 residents. Central Islip, New York has a quality-of-life score of 70 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,675 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #508 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on depression (low), violent crime rate (low) and food environment index (high). It ranks worst on high school diploma or higher (low), high ozone days (high) and time spent in the emergency room (high).

70High

Quality-of-life score: #4,675 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #508 of 859 in NY
Population: 38,373 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 5,363.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3613552

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
Economy70#4,624/15,631
Housing4#14,345/14,977
Health75#3,972/15,609
Healthcare74#4,088/15,650
Environment80#3,045/15,453
Education22#12,142/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,196/15,650
Community68#4,978/15,651
Leisure & amenities92#1,249/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Central Islip, 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

Depression · low14.6%
99/100New York 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
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
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
Natural hazard risk · low4.2
93/100New York 12.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencySuffolk County value

Weaknesses

High school diploma or higher · low76.1%
2/100New York 88.0%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
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 · high63.8%
10/100New York 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Effective property tax rate · high1.83%
11/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Physical inactivity · high33.4%
12/100New York 24.5%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
31,205 (2015-2019) → 38,373 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$74,458 (2015-2019) → $113,707 (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.3% (2015-2019) → 91.3% (2020-2024)
+9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
68.3% (2015-2019) → 63.8% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Public transit commutersWorsening
7.6% (2015-2019) → 4.2% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.5% (2015-2019) → 6.1% (2020-2024)
+2.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Central Islip, New York improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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.

Improved3

Property tax−0.9 points2.71% → 1.83%
Household income+53%$74,458 → $113,707
Broadband+9 points82.3% → 91.3%

Declined2

Unemployment+2.6 points3.5% → 6.1%
Transit use−3.4 points7.6% → 4.2%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Central Islip, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.9 min2015-2019	27.3 min2020-2024	−2.6 min	Within the margin of error	76%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.0%2015-2019	19.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Broadband subscriptions	82.3%2015-2019	91.3%2020-2024	+9 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	8.7%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Effective property tax rate	2.71%2015-2019	1.83%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Improved	99%
High school diploma or higher	75.5%2015-2019	76.1%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4142015-2019	0.3962020-2024	−0.018	Within the margin of error	66%
Median household income	$74,4582015-2019	$113,7072020-2024	+53%	Improved	87%
Poverty rate	9.1%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Public transit commuters	7.6%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Declined	9%
Rent as share of income	39.6%2015-2019	40.6%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	68.3%2015-2019	63.8%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Unemployment rate	3.5%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Declined	12%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.7%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	36%

“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 Central Islip, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Central Islip, 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, Central Islip, New York itself moved +5.5 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

38,373 residents (±2,622)

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

9,545 households (±570)

Central Islip, New York
New York share

Under $25k10%969
$25k–50k8.7%†829
$50k–75k15%1,402

Homes

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

Owners and renters

9,545 households (±570)

Central Islip, New York
New York share

Own78%7,460
Rent22%2,085

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

17,517 workers (±1,301)

Central Islip, New York
New York share

Drive alone71%12,462
Carpool14%2,443
Public transit4.2%†738

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 Central Islip'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 $7.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Central Islip, New York: $201 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7.7M; −31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $201; US $1,994
Sole-source: 18%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Office of Procurement Operations$6M77%
Public Buildings Service$1.8M23%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

6.7MFY2017
2.7MFY2018
3.7MFY2019
5.1MFY2020
3.8MFY2021
9MFY2022
11.9MFY2023
11.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Investigation and security services · 5616$6M77%
Facilities support services · 5612$1.3M17%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$392.3K5.1%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$16.8K0.2%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Central Islip, New York

PSO SERVICES THROUGHOUT BROOKLYN, LONG ISLAND, AND STATEN ISLAND NEW YORK - NEW TASK ORDER$6.7M
ALANTE SECURITY GROUP, INC· Suffolk County, NY· Facilities & utilities· Nov 24, 2025 – Aug 26, 2026· 70RFP126FRE200004
PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER (PSO) SERVICES IN BROOKLYN, STATEN ISLAND AND LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK$3.5M
ALANTE SECURITY GROUP, INC· Suffolk County, NY· Facilities & utilities· Nov 27, 2024 – Nov 19, 2025· 70RFP125FRE200004
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LABOR, AND MATERIALS TO PROVIDE A COMPLETE PROJECT FOR THE TOPSIDE WATERPROOFING AND EXTERIOR REPAIR OF THE ALFONSE DAMATO FEDERAL COURTHOUSE PARKING GARAGE AT CENTRAL ISLIP, NY$1.7M
SYNTHESIS INC· Suffolk County, NY· Construction & real property· Aug 27, 2025 – Aug 25, 2026· 47PC0225F0040

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 Central Islip, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Central Islip, New York's figures are part of those of Suffolk County, NY ($1.7B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Central Islip 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.

Central Islip, 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/3613552

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends