East Rockaway is a medium-sized coastal village (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 10,010 people and two associated neighborhoods, East Rockaway is the 183rd largest community in New York.

East Rockaway home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but East Rockaway real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that East Rockaway has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 14.65% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

East Rockaway is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

One downside of living in East Rockaway, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.95 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly village. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Even though East Rockaway is a smaller village, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the train for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

The citizens of East Rockaway are among the most well-educated in the nation: 46.92% of adults in East Rockaway have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in East Rockaway in 2022 was $64,535, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $258,140 for a family of four.

East Rockaway is a very ethnically-diverse village. The people who call East Rockaway home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of East Rockaway residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. East Rockaway also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 12.10% of the village’s residents. Important ancestries of people in East Rockaway include Italian, Irish, German, Polish, and Russian.

The most common language spoken in East Rockaway is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.