Suffolk County, New York Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Suffolk County, New York, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Suffolk County, New York. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Suffolk County, New York. The estimated population of Suffolk County, New York is 1,522,998 people, with a median age of 41.7.

We can look at the total population in Suffolk County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
1,522,998
+2.81%
+1.70%
2020
1,481,364
 -0.17% -
2019
1,483,832
 -0.27% -
2018
1,487,901
 -0.65% -
2017
1,497,595
 - -

Population of Suffolk County, New York by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
66.4%
68.5%
 -3.07%
Black/African American
6.9%
7.2%
 -4.17%
Native
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%
Hispanic
19.9%
18.6%
 +6.99%
Asian
4%
3.8%
 +5.26%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2%
1.3%
 +53.85%
Other
0.5%
0.4%
 +25.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Suffolk County, New York by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 41.7 0% 40.4 +0.5% 43.2 -0.23%
2020 41.7 +0.48% 40.2 +0.5% 43.3 +0.46%
2019 41.5 +0.48% 40 +0.76% 43.1 +0.47%
2018 41.3 +0.73% 39.7 +0.51% 42.9 +0.7%
2017 41 - 39.5 - 42.6 -

The median age of Suffolk County, New York gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 86,081 -3.49% 83,165 -3.56% 83,045 80,206
10 to 19 103,080 -1.25% 96,165 +0.13% 101,708 96,188
20 to 29 97,023 +0.39% 91,033 +2% 97,392 92,860
30 to 39 86,672 +4.35% 83,889 +3.11% 90,442 86,458
40 to 49 103,215 -7.15% 107,674 -10.75% 95,910 96,524
50 to 59 114,327 +3.55% 119,167 -0.92% 118,356 118,053
60 to 69 80,392 +13.11% 86,783 +10.53% 91,362 96,257
70+ 66,583 +13.04% 92,346 +10.62% 75,692 102,545

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Suffolk County, New York is $111,660.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Suffolk County.

  • Under 25
    $46,552.00
  • 25 to 44
    $121,509.00
  • 45 to 64
    $134,878.00
  • 65 and over
    $72,211.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Suffolk County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Suffolk County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Suffolk County, New York is currently $142,864.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

20.55% of households in Suffolk County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Suffolk County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    9.67%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    11.38%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    12.05%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.39%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    20.91%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    14.05%
  • $200,000 or more
    20.55%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Suffolk County is $49,404.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Suffolk County by the total population of Suffolk County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Suffolk County, New York, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Suffolk County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    19.88%
  • Bachelor's degree
    32.03%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.20%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    35.60%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.30%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Suffolk County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Suffolk County over the age of 16 is 1,243,326.

Of those people, a total of 65.60% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Suffolk County is 62.40%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 81,475 35.70% 14.60%
20 to 24 years 97,016 73.90% 9.40%
25 to 29 years 93,236 86.20% 4.90%
30 to 34 years 86,831 85.00% 5.00%
35 to 44 years 180,085 84.80% 3.50%
45 to 54 years 220,179 84.60% 3.60%
55 to 59 years 118,648 77.70% 3.40%
60 to 64 years 108,178 66.40% 4.00%
65 to 74 years 148,581 32.40% 3.70%
75 years and over 109,097 9.00% 4.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Suffolk County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 968,395 64.70% 4.50%
Black or African American 91,035 67.90% 5.90%
American Indian and Alaska Native 3,689 60.40% 2.70%
Asian 49,758 63.90% 4.20%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 220 65.50% 18.20%
Other 66,889 72.10% 6.00%
Two or more races 63,340 71.50% 5.90%
Hispanic or Latino 219,410 71.40% 5.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 861,671 63.90% 4.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Suffolk County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Suffolk County is 776,067, with median earnings of $53,939.00.

Women in Suffolk County, New York earning approximately 69.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 776,067 $53,939.00
Male 410,311 $64,351.00
Female 365,756 $44,598.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 81,650 $93,624.00
Business and Financial 44,138 $83,388.00
Computer and Mathematical 18,191 $90,829.00
Architecture and Engineering 12,565 $95,499.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 8,088 $70,000.00
Community and Social Service 14,751 $55,275.00
Legal 12,932 $97,143.00
Educational and Library 67,000 $67,214.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 15,828 $46,166.00
Healthcare Practitioners 54,073 $79,355.00
Healthcare Support 25,185 $31,491.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 11,387 $41,563.00
Law Enforcement 15,188 $107,391.00
Food Preparation and Serving 29,268 $17,935.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 26,831 $33,524.00
Personal Care and Service 20,321 $17,985.00
Sales 81,924 $43,468.00
Office and Administrative Support 94,772 $42,253.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1,293 $33,095.00
Construction and Extraction 42,967 $59,813.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 24,140 $65,982.00
Production 24,887 $43,493.00
Transportation and Material Moving 29,006 $46,294.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 49,907 $106,220.00 31,743 $79,151.00
Business and Financial 23,321 $97,504.00 20,817 $71,015.00
Computer and Mathematical 13,967 $93,721.00 4,224 $78,144.00
Architecture and Engineering 10,782 $97,454.00 1,783 $74,554.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 3,796 $82,398.00 4,292 $64,965.00
Community and Social Service 4,398 $50,946.00 10,353 $57,019.00
Legal 6,483 $152,938.00 6,449 $66,794.00
Educational and Library 16,528 $89,164.00 50,472 $60,465.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 7,537 $53,943.00 8,291 $42,363.00
Healthcare Practitioners 15,509 $100,766.00 38,564 $72,726.00
Healthcare Support 4,877 $33,192.00 20,308 $31,192.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 8,576 $50,583.00 2,811 $21,222.00
Law Enforcement 13,064 $111,113.00 2,124 $77,525.00
Food Preparation and Serving 14,080 $21,037.00 15,188 $15,666.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 19,919 $39,493.00 6,912 $21,629.00
Personal Care and Service 5,200 $22,329.00 15,121 $17,018.00
Sales 46,346 $55,367.00 35,578 $29,873.00
Office and Administrative Support 23,055 $49,635.00 71,717 $40,692.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 988 $33,521.00 305 $27,483.00
Construction and Extraction 42,039 $60,109.00 928 $44,795.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 23,426 $66,220.00 714 $55,000.00
Production 17,514 $51,069.00 7,373 $30,633.00
Transportation and Material Moving 24,904 $49,642.00 4,102 $33,452.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 505,564 households in Suffolk County, with an average household size of 2.96 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 366,888 families in Suffolk County with an average family size of 3.47 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 286,388 24,587 55,913 138,676
Average Household Size 3.57 3.68 3.73 1.26
Total Families 286,388 24,587 55,913 0
Average Household Size 3.51 3.16 3.46 0

Poverty

Of the 366,888 families in Suffolk County, 4.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Suffolk County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 578,345 housing units in Suffolk County, New York.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 505,564 87.42%
Vacant 72,781 12.58%

14.98% of the total 578,345 housing units in Suffolk County are rental units. This is approximately 86,625 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 413,763 are occupied by the owner - or 71.54% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Suffolk County is $1,895.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Suffolk County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    5,176
  • Less than $500
    4,106
  • $500 to $999
    5,749
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    13,278
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    25,552
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    19,652
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    10,808
  • $3,000 or more
    7,480

Property Value

The median value of a property in Suffolk County is $436,300.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Suffolk County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    6,302
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    4,381
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    6,255
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8,212
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    44,484
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    196,845
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    122,847
  • $1,000,000 or more
    24,437

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Suffolk County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Suffolk County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    50,896
  • 1940 to 1949
    28,464
  • 1950 to 1959
    102,254
  • 1960 to 1969
    116,257
  • 1970 to 1979
    105,786
  • 1980 to 1989
    59,522
  • 1990 to 1999
    53,000
  • 2000 to 2009
    45,345
  • 2010 to 2013
    16,342
  • 2014 or later
    479

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Suffolk County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    27,016
  • 1 vehicle available
    134,700
  • 2 vehicles available
    195,010
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    148,838

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Suffolk County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Suffolk County that commute to work in a particular way.

32.1 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Suffolk County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    15,494
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    54,686
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    82,744
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    93,262
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    94,170
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    42,282
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    105,454
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    19,556
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    28,869
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    59,350
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    56,224
  • 90 or more minutes
    50,642

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Suffolk County, New York in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Suffolk County, New York

We have data for 164 places in Suffolk County, New York. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.