Moving to
Central Islip.

All Central Islip data Compare Central Islip

38,373people live here $113,707median household income▲ 41% above US $2,071median rent per month▲ 47% above US $436,400median home value▲ 31% above US

Central Islip is an unincorporated community in Suffolk County, NY. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Central Islip

Central Islip is an unincorporated community in New York with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Central Islip deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Low college degree attainment
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Central Islip compares

Median household income

Central Islip$113,707

New York avg$85,974

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Central Islip$2,071

New York avg$1,621

US$1,413

Median home value

Central Islip$436,400

New York avg$423,800

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Central Islip

Based on Central Islip's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,142

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $82,840 a year
60% of Central Islip renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$87,280

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $43,640
Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 47% above US

$2,071/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,071 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices run above average, with a median around $436,400. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $436,400 · 60% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Suffolk County is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Suffolk County (county-wide)

Safety

48 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Central Islip doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Suffolk County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 567/100k · Policed by Suffolk County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2023 data

Getting aroundNear US average

27 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

71%

Carpool

14%

Work from home

6.7%

Public transit

4.2%

Other

3.6%

Walk

0.4%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 46% below US

19% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.

Schools

7 public schools inside the boundary

There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Fire Island National Seashore (12 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Central Islip's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,071/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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