Suffolk County has a diverse community. It has a population of about 1.5 million people, based on the last census. About 92.2% of the population are citizens of the U.S. The ethnic mix comprises of about 68%, or one million, white residents, 19% Hispanics, 7.2% blacks, and 3.9% of Asian descent.
About 23.8% of the population speak a language other than English. The most popular non-English language spoken is Spanish, which represents about 13% of the population. The next most popular foreign language is Italian, spoken by a little more than 15,200 residents, followed by Chinese, which is spoken by just under 12,000 people. Other languages include Urdu and Greek. Compared to other counties in New York, Suffolk has more residents who consider Italian as their native language.
Discover the 4 best beaches in Suffolk County, NY
The average age of the Suffolk residents is 41.2 years-old. Individuals between the ages of 5 and 17 make up the highest percentage at almost 16% of the population. This is followed by people between the ages of 45 to 54, which comprises of almost 14%.
In terms of education, Suffolk County has more females graduating from college than males. Out the 15,352 degrees awarded by Suffolk universities in 2015, 8,599 were award to female graduates, while 6,753 degrees were awarded to male graduates. The most popular major among 4-year Bachelor’s Degree programs was Business Administration, with 12% of the graduates choosing this degree program. The second most popular degree was Psychology, which attracted 8.2% of university students. Studies in General Health Services followed close behind with 8.1% of the graduates majoring in this area. In 2015, Stony Brook University in Suffolk had the highest number of graduates at a little over 7,100 students, followed by Suffolk County Community College with about 3,700 graduates. Farmingdale State College rounded the list at about 1,700 students earning a degree. About 55% of the graduates were white, 13.4% were Hispanic, and 11.1% were Asian.
The median annual household income in Suffolk County is almost $93,000, according to data in 2016. 13.8% of the households earn above $200,000, followed by 12.9% making between $150K-$200K. This is much higher than the national average. 79% of the households own a home, which is higher than the national average of 63.1% of households with home ownership. In 2016, the average price of a home was $386,400. That is an increase of 1.23% from the previous year. 30.2% of Suffolk properties are valued between $300K to $400K, which is the highest percentage of properties in Suffolk. Households in Suffolk own an average of two cars, which is consistent with the national average. The average commute time to work is 30.4 minutes. Most people, around 80% of the working community, drive alone. Around 8% carpool, while a little less than 6% take public transportation.
More Facts About Suffolk County
Suffolk residents work in diverse industries. The most common types of jobs are in business administration, sales, and management. Education, construction, and healthcare fields are also popular. The highest paid professions in Suffolk are the supervisors in fire fighting, people in management, and those who work in the legal field. The overall workforce increased slightly from 2015 to 2016.