Stony Brook is a somewhat small 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.

A relatively large number of people in Stony Brook telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 17.34% 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.

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 is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Stony Brook, the average commute to work is 31.68 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

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.

If knowledge is power, Stony Brook is a pretty powerful place. 66.81% of the adults in Stony Brook have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Stony Brook in 2022 was $72,008, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $288,032 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, Polish, and English.

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