Stony Brook 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 13,467 people and five associated neighborhoods, Stony Brook is the 145th largest community in New York.

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

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Stony Brook has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

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

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 16.57% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

Because of many things, Stony Brook is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Stony Brook really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Stony Brook perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

One of the nice things about Stony Brook is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Stony Brook, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 30.84 minutes every day commuting to work. However, 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.

Despite being a small town, Stony Brook has a lot of people using the train to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on the train are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Stony Brook. 68.12% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Stony Brook in 2022 was $72,519, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $290,076 for a family of four.

Stony Brook is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Stony Brook home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Stony Brook residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Stony Brook include Italian, Irish, German, English, and Polish.

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