Moving to
Middle Island.

All Middle Island data Compare Middle Island

11,027people live here $85,480median household incomeNear US average $1,868median rent per month▲ 32% above US $383,500median home value▲ 15% above US

Middle Island 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 Middle Island

Middle Island is an unincorporated community in New York with county unemployment below the national average, a growing population, 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. Middle Island deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold winters.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Above-average commute times
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Middle Island compares

Median household income

Middle Island$85,480

New York avg$85,974

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Middle Island$1,868

New York avg$1,621

US$1,413

Median home value

Middle Island$383,500

New York avg$423,800

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Middle Island

Based on Middle Island's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,736

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $74,720 a year
66% of Middle Island renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$76,700

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $38,350
Homes cost 4.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 32% above US

$1,868/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,868 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $383,500. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $383,500 · 66% 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

Middle Island 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 around▲ 21% above US

32 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

79%

Carpool

11%

Work from home

7.8%

Walk

0.8%

Public transit

0.7%

Other

0.4%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°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▼ 11% below US

32% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 32% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

1 public school inside the boundary

There is 1 public school inside the boundary. 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 (13 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Middle Island's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,868/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.

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