Suffolk County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Suffolk County, NY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 90% of counties in New York
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in New York
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,451,500 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 611.5 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.38% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.3 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 493,559 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Suffolk County declined by 4.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,451,500 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Suffolk County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.5% of residents. That is 2.7 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 292,019 20.1% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 284,666 19.6% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 340,807 23.5% +2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 262,332 18.1% +0.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New York, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.7% of the people living in Suffolk County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% New York 51.3%
- Men 49.3% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Suffolk County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Suffolk County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $131,515 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.82% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Suffolk County is about 52% higher than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $526,704 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,275 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.4% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Suffolk County is about 19.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,275 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Suffolk County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 213 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.5 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.1 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 213 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,596 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.5% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,516 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,434 | 1,586 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New York:
Hamilton County (13.6 min), Chautauqua County (15.4 min), Franklin County (16.4 min).
Slowest:
Bronx County (43.2 min), Queens County (41.8 min), Kings County (41.6 min).
The average commute time in Suffolk County is 26 minutes, shorter than the 29 minutes in New York.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Suffolk County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.8% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.89 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New York:
New York County (0.5), Tompkins County (0.4), Westchester County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.2), Orleans County (0.2), Hamilton County (0.2).
Health
Suffolk County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Suffolk County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.5% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.8% | 17.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New York:
Tompkins County (0.8), Nassau County (0.8), New York County (0.8).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.8), Montgomery County (0.8), Cattaraugus County (0.8).
Suffolk County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Suffolk County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,451,500 residents against a local median of 308,890. Suffolk County, NY's median home price, at $526,704, runs 115% above the $244,999 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $131,515 against a local median of $90,469, 45% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 45% above the local median it puts Suffolk County, NY at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $68,665 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Suffolk County, NY, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Suffolk County, NY has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, NY | 1,451,500 | $131,515 #1/6 | $526,704 #1/6 | 25.5 min #6/6 |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 516,000 | $91,696 | $233,101 | 20.9 min |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 163,295 | $107,450 | $222,692 | 22.8 min |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 308,890 | $90,469 | $283,536 | 23.9 min |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 439,566 | $87,330 | $244,999 | 23.5 min |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 252,265 | $86,956 | $291,357 | 20.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Suffolk County, New York.
How many people live in Suffolk County, New York?
About 1,451,500 people live in Suffolk County, New York, in 493,559 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 43.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Suffolk County, New York mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Suffolk County, New York has 612 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 7.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Suffolk County, New York?
The median home costs 4.0 times the median household income ($526,704 against $131,515), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,275 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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