Census-designated place · Suffolk County, New York

East Setauket, New York

East Setauket is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 10,149 residents. East Setauket, New York has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #587 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #118 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on uninsured residents (under 65) (low), violent crime rate (low) and poor or fair health (low). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), effective property tax rate (high) and high ozone days (high).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #587 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #118 of 859 in NY
Population: 10,149 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,685.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 3622964

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
Economy89#1,690/15,631
Housing9#13,590/14,977
Health94#862/15,609
Healthcare92#1,304/15,650
Environment80#3,019/15,453
Education91#1,456/15,649
Infrastructure87#1,961/15,650
Community86#2,116/15,651
Leisure & amenities92#1,249/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where East Setauket, 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

Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.7%
98/100New York 5.9%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Violent crime rate · low54 /100k
97/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2023Federal Bureau of InvestigationSuffolk County value
Poor or fair health · low10.9%
96/100New York 16.8%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
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
Adult smoking · low7.6%
95/100New York 14.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high30.2 min
4/100New York 32.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · high2.17%
5/100New 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
Social associations · low6.9 /10k
21/100New York 7.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSuffolk County value
Rent-burdened households · high65.3%
22/100New York 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

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

PopulationRising
9,531 (2016-2020) → 10,149 (2020-2024)
+6.5%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
51.7% (2016-2020) → 65.3% (2020-2024)
+14 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.4× (2016-2020) → 4.2× (2020-2024)
+25%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
30.5% (2016-2020) → 34.9% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%
Average commute timeImproving
35.6 min (2016-2020) → 30.2 min (2020-2024)
−15%4 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Unemployment rateWorsening
2.7% (2016-2020) → 5.6% (2020-2024)
+2.9 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 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.

There is not enough history to compare East Setauket, New York over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of East Setauket, 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.

No place that looked like East Setauket, New York five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

10,149 residents (±815)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29†
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

10,149 residents (±815)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

White73%7,429
Black2.5%†257
Hispanic or Latino8.7%†879
Asian11%1,077
American Indian and Alaska Native0.3%†31
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.7%†476

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

6,913 residents (±550)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

No high school diploma2.3%†156
High school or GED15%1,021
Some college12%831
Associate degree10%†693
Bachelor's degree25%1,757
Graduate degree36%2,455

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,694 households (±344)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Under $25k5.4%†200
$25k–50k10%†381
$50k–75k8.5%†314
$75k–100k9.1%†337
$100k–150k16%590
$150k–200k15%†562
$200k or more35%1,310

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,694 households (±344)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Own88%3,258
Rent12%†436

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

406 households (±247)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Under $7504.2%†17
$750–1,00010%†41
$1,000–1,5004.7%†19

Home values

3,258 homes (±250)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Under $150k4.0%†130
$150k–250k4.5%†145
$250k–400k2.3%†75

Age of homes

3,974 homes (±307)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

2010 or later1.1%†45
2000–20096.1%†242
1980–199923%924

Size of homes

3,974 homes (±307)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Studio0.4%†15
1 bedroom5.3%†212
2 bedrooms12%475

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

5,315 workers (±607)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Drive alone77%4,071
Carpool5.7%†305
Public transit2.4%†127
Walk0.2%†9
Bike0.0%0
Work from home14%765
Other0.7%†38

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

4,550 workers (±594)

East Setauket, New York
New York share

Under 15 min32%1,463
15–29 min25%1,121
30–44 min23%1,069
45–59 min

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 East Setauket'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 $1.6M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in East Setauket, New York: $162 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $1.6M; −34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $162; US $2,007
Sole-source: 35%; US 30%
Single offer: 24%; US 8.7%

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$965.6K59%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$397.5K24%
Social Security Administration$205.1K12%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$71.4K4.3%
Department of the Navy$3,4400.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.2MFY2017
1.8MFY2018
1.9MFY2019
2MFY2020
1.1MFY2021
2MFY2022
1.3MFY2023
2.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$505.7K31%
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$410.2K25%
Offices of physicians · 6211$205.1K12%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$142.8K8.7%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$137.6K8.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 East Setauket, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

East Setauket, 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: East Setauket 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.

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

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

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/3622964

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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