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.

Stony Brook is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Stony Brook’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.

Stony Brook 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.

In Stony Brook, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 30.84 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Even though Stony Brook is a smaller town, 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.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Stony Brook, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Stony Brook is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 68.12% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 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.