Islip is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 18,418 people and five associated neighborhoods, Islip is the 100th largest community in New York.

Housing costs in Islip are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New York.

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

A relatively large number of people in Islip telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.05% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Islip 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.

The education level of Islip citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 34.29% of adults in Islip have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Islip in 2018 was $49,570, which is upper middle income relative to New York, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $198,280 for a family of four.

Islip is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Islip home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Islip residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Islip also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 16.01% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Islip include Italian, Irish, German, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Islip is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.