East Rockaway is a somewhat small coastal village (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 10,028 people and two associated neighborhoods, East Rockaway is the 183rd largest community in New York.

Housing costs in East Rockaway 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.

A relatively large number of people in East Rockaway telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 13.62% 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.

One of the nice things about East Rockaway 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 East Rockaway, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.37 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.

Despite being a small village, East Rockaway 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.

The education level of East Rockaway ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in East Rockaway, 46.55% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in East Rockaway in 2022 was $59,364, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $237,456 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. 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.