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Brookhaven vs Islip

Next-door neighbors in Suffolk County. The biggest differences: trails (4.3× in Brookhaven) and street grid (+82% in Islip).

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Brookhaven, NYA colonial town, settled 1655Suffolk County · 489,810 people
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Islip, NYA colonial town, settled 1683Suffolk County · 339,106 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BrookhavenA colonial town, settled 1655
HistorySettled in 165551 places on the National Register Outdoors#108 most trails in NY592 miles of trails across 179 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Brookhaven →
IslipA colonial town, settled 1683
HistorySettled in 168328 places on the National Register SchoolsBetter than 78%of NY districts Outdoors#120 most conserved land in NY137 miles of trails across 98 parks and preserves All about Islip →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails4.3×
Brookhaven has more miles of trail
Brookhaven 591.9 miIslip 136.8 mi
Street grid+82%
Islip has the more walkable street grid
Islip 50.2Brookhaven 27.6
Jobs per worker+53%
Islip is more of a job hub
Islip 0.90Brookhaven 0.59
★ What stands out · Report cards

Brookhaven places higher on 11 of 22 NY lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every New York ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B−BrookhavenBetter than 54% of districts in the state A−IslipBetter than 78% of districts in the state
Health
A−BrookhavenHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns A−IslipHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns
11Brookhaven
9Islip

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 609 towns #414#9 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 774 towns #277#699 Best schoolsSchools · 484 towns #131#264 Most new homesHousing · 709 towns #432#614 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 197 towns #187#155 Most remote workersWork · 764 towns #463#563 Shortest commuteGetting around · 777 towns #631#535 Most walkableOutdoors · 776 towns #305#218

Left end = #1 in New York. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Brookhaven’s rankings →

Where they are

Brookhaven and Islip share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BrookhavenIslipBrookhavenIslip
Brookhaven ↔ Islip16 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
33,656 Brookhaven residents work in Islip (15% of its workers)
15,631 Islip residents work in Brookhaven (9.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Brookhaven →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs $350 more a month in Brookhaven

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Brookhaven$5,010/mo
Typical home $721K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.04%+ · or rent about $2,314/mo · Housing →
Islip$4,660/mo
Typical home $685K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.87%+ · or rent about $2,209/mo · Housing →

The difference: $350 a month, about $4,200 a year, between Brookhaven and Islip.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BrookhavenIslip
Snow a year32″32″
January low25°F25°F
July high83°F83°F
Growing season (days)207d207d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)23rd12th
Outdoors & history
BrookhavenIslip
Trails592 mi137 mi
Conserved land12.2%13.8%
Settled16551683
National Register places5128
Archive photos2454
Famous people born here1722
Community
BrookhavenIslip
Library hours a week73 hrs71 hrs
Colleges in town2—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BrookhavenIslip
People
Population 489,810Highest 339,106Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.1%Lowest NY: +4.2% +1.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 39.9±0.5Highest about the NY average 39.2±0.6Lowest about the NY average
Brookhaven and Islip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.3%±0.6Lowest NY: 20.5% 22.2%±0.6Highest NY: 20.5%
Islip and Brookhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.6%±0.4Highest NY: 17.9% 15.2%±0.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.9%Highest NY: 40.2% 32.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.1%±0.4Highest NY: 7% 6.3%±0.4Lowest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $120,110±$3kLowest 40% above NY $130,132±$3kHighest 51% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $489,200±$3kLowest 15% above NY $535,300±$7kHighest 26% above NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,314±$46Highest 43% above NY $2,209±$47Lowest 36% above NY
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 52% above NY $10,000+ at least 52% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 64.3%±2.4Highest NY: 52.1% 56.1%±2.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line 7%Highest NY: 14% 6.4%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.9%Highest NY: 54.3% 80.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY 1967Lowest 8 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest about the NY average 28 minLowest 13% below NY
Work from home 9.9%±0.6Highest NY: 14.9% 8.3%±0.5Lowest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 32.3%Highest 28.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miHighest 10.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 0.90Highest
Top workplaceoutside town New York (17%)New York (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 15% work in Islip10% work in Brookhaven
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 12.2%Lowest 13.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 591.9 miHighest 136.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 179Highest 98Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 27.6Lowest 50.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #131 of 484 in NY#264 of 484 in NY
School district SOUTH COUNTRY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · EASTPORT-SOUTH MANOR CSDBAY SHORE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT · BAYPORT-BLUE POINT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town William Floyd High SchoolBrentwood High School
Students per teacherat that high school 13.9Lowest 14.2Highest
New York average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Brookhaven neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brookhaven’s Town Square.

Islip neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Islip’s Town Square.

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Bordering Brookhaven

+ Compare
Riverhead35,980 people · $487K homes
+ Compare
Calverton5,618 people · $229K homes
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Manorville14,233 people · $601K homes
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Wading River8,359 people · $519K homes

Towns like Brookhaven

+ Compare
Hempstead790,202 people · $641K homes
B
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Babylon218,262 people · $522K homes
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Oyster Bay299,509 people · $709K homes
+ Compare
Huntington204,059 people · $716K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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