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Islip vs Brookhaven

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

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Islip, NYA colonial town, settled 1683Suffolk County · 339,106 people
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Brookhaven, NYA colonial town, settled 1655Suffolk County · 489,810 people
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.

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.

★ 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.

Where they are

Islip and Brookhaven share a border

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

IslipBrookhavenIslipBrookhaven
Islip ↔ Brookhaven16 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.

Islip$4,660/mo
Typical home $685K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.87%+ · or rent about $2,209/mo · Housing →
Brookhaven$5,010/mo
Typical home $721K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.04%+ · or rent about $2,314/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
IslipBrookhaven
Snow a year32″32″
January low25°F25°F
July high83°F83°F
Growing season (days)207d207d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th23rd
Outdoors & history
IslipBrookhaven
Conserved land13.8%12.2%
Settled16831655
National Register places2851
Archive photos5424
Famous people born here2217
Community
IslipBrookhaven
Library hours a week71 hrs73 hrs
Colleges in town—2
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.

IslipBrookhaven
People
Population 339,106Lowest 489,810Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.3%Highest NY: +4.2% -0.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age 39.2±0.6Lowest about the NY average 39.9±0.5Highest 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 22.2%±0.6Highest NY: 20.5% 21.3%±0.6Lowest 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+ 15.2%±0.5Lowest NY: 17.9% 16.6%±0.4Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.6%Lowest NY: 40.2% 35.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±0.4Lowest NY: 7% 8.1%±0.4Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $130,132±$3kHighest 51% above NY $120,110±$3kLowest 40% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $535,300±$7kHighest 26% above NY $489,200±$3kLowest 15% above NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,209±$47Lowest 36% above NY $2,314±$46Highest 43% 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 56.1%±2.9Lowest NY: 52.1% 64.3%±2.4Highest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line 6.4%Lowest NY: 14% 7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.5%Lowest NY: 54.3% 80.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 8 yrs newer than NY 1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 13% below NY 32 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home 8.3%±0.5Lowest NY: 14.9% 9.9%±0.6Highest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 28.5%Lowest 32.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.90Highest 0.59Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town New York (18%)New York (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 10% work in Brookhaven15% work in Islip
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.8%Highest 12.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 136.8 miLowest 591.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 1.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 98Lowest 179Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 50.2Highest 27.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #264 of 484 in NY#131 of 484 in NY
School district BAY SHORE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT · BAYPORT-BLUE POINT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICTSOUTH COUNTRY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · EASTPORT-SOUTH MANOR CSD
High school in town Brentwood High SchoolWilliam Floyd High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.2Highest 13.9Lowest
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.

Islip neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Islip’s Town Square.

Brookhaven neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brookhaven’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Islip

Towns like Islip

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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