What Are The 10 Richest Towns In Long Island?

Long Island is located in southeast New York State, and it’s made up of four counties. These include Kings and Queens counties, home to Brooklyn and Queens, as well as Nassau County to the west and Suffolk County to the east. It’s estimated that around two-thirds of the residents of New York City live on Long Island, in Brooklyn and Queens.

Sagaponack, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Amagansett, and Old Westbury are among the richest towns in Long Island. Towns like Manhasset, Roslyn Heights, and Brookville are wealthier than most Long Island towns. East Hills and Muttontown round out the 10 richest towns in Long Island.

Below are more details about the richest towns in Long Island, including average home prices, price per square foot, and the poverty level in each town. Each town has a poverty rate well below the national average, in addition to extraordinarily high real estate prices.

Check out our guide: The Pros And Cons Of Living In Upstate New York

Sagaponack is a village in the Town of Southampton, located in Suffolk County. Only a few hundred people live in this exclusive community, and in 2015, Business Insider said the zip code where Sagaponack is located was the most expensive in the U.S. Notable Sagaponack residents have included Truman Capote, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Joel, Caroline Kennedy, and Kurt Vonnegut. It’s also a summer destination for many of Manhattan’s wealthy who want to escape to the beach during the hot months in the city.

Sagaponack’s overall cost of living is around 310% higher than the national average, with housing being 983% higher. The majority of rent prices in Sagaponack are between $19,000 a month and $48,500 a month. There are also a number of rentals that are upwards of $78,000 a month. Homes, on average, sell for around $1,100 a square foot right now. The closer you get to the beach, the more you might expect to pay.

Bridgehampton is in Suffolk County, known as being a summer retreat for the famous and wealthy. It’s also an equestrian haven. Riding events include the Hamptons Classic and the Bridgehampton Polo Club’s matches. Bridgehampton is around 13 ½ square miles, bisected by the Montauk Highway. There is a unique charm to Bridgehampton, thanks to the farmhouse-style architecture and the Main Street, with quaint shopping and dining.

The Hamptons is luxurious but also offers a simple lifestyle. Southampton is home to wineries, scenic waterfronts like Mecox Bay, and plenty to keep you entertained. Simple luxury doesn’t come cheap, however. The median listing home price is $2.3 million and the average rent for a one-bedroom unit is $9,000.

Water Mill is a hamlet in the Town of Southampton. Water Mill has a 300-year history and also sprawling estates, peaceful beaches, and an exciting arts scene. There are woodlands and farm fields, as well as waterfront properties. Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos are among the celebrities who have a home in Water Mill. The median sale price for a home in Water Mill is $5.25 million, and the median rent is $300,000 for the summer season, which is typically from Memorial to Labor Day.

For housing, expect to on average pay 678% more than you would nationwide, and the overall cost of living is 218% higher than the U.S. average.

Amagansett is a Hampton between prestigious Montauk and East Hampton. It’s often called The Dune, and it has beach cottages paired with stunning estates. The homes along Bluff Road have some of the best ocean views. Amagansett’s sunsets are especially beautiful at Indian Wells Beach and Double Dunes Preserve. The average sale price for a home in Amagansett is just under $4 million, but there are often very few homes even available here.

Housing is around 528% more expensive than the U.S. average in Amagansett, and for that high price, you might rub elbows with some of the many celebrities with homes here. Over the years, Paul McCartney, Scarlett Johansson, Jerry Seinfeld, Christy Brinkley, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Lorne Michaels have had houses in the area.

Old Westbury is a village that’s both in the Town of Oyster Bay and the Town of North Hempstead. Old Westbury is often named as the richest village in the country and one of the top five richest zip codes in New York state. Old Westbury Gardens is frequently named as one of the best public gardens in the world, and it’s described as New York’s wealthiest suburb.

The average net worth of people in Old Westbury in 2011, according to Forbes, was nearly $10 million, and that controlled study excluded the staff of homeowners, which often make these rich communities have a lower per capita income than they would otherwise.

Notable people who have at one time or another had a home in Old Westbury include Bethenny Frankel, Victoria Gotti, Lilly Pulitzer, Howard Stern, Gloria Vanderbilt, George Herbert Walker, and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. The average annual household income in Old Westbury is around $639,000, and the average salary of a resident is $338,000.

Manhasset is on Long Island’s North Shore. It’s often described as one of the best communities to raise a family in the New York area. It’s only about 20 miles from Manhattan and is connected with a commuter train. You can be in the city in less than 30 minutes from Manhasset. It’s in Nassau County, and notable residents have included Billy Crudup, Carson Daly, Bill O’Reilly, and Leonard Marsh, the co-founder of Snapple.

If you were going to rent a one-bedroom unit in Manhasset, you might expect to pay an average of $2,100, but it’s rare to find a rental in the community. The median sales price for a home in the community has gone up more than 13% in the past year, and there’s a limited inventory of anything for sale in Manhasset.

The Village of Brookville is in Oyster Bay, in Nassau County. At one point, BusinessWeek said Brookville was the wealthiest town in America. People who were residents of Brookville include Marc Anthony, Angie Dickinson, and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. Brookville is on the North Shore of Long Island and it features top school districts and stunning estates. The median household income in Brookville is more than $250,000 and the population is just over 3,500.

Housing in Brookville is around 697% higher than U.S. average prices, and the overall cost of living is 223% higher than the national average. The median rent price in Brookville is $3,200. With the high prices come amenities and perks, like incredibly low crime. The crime in Brookville is 87% lower than the national average.

Rosyln Heights is a hamlet in Nassau County. It’s in the eastern area of the Town of North Hempstead. This New York suburb is frequently described as one of the best places to raise a family in New York. Residents also say it’s a beautiful, calm, and peaceful place to live, that’s safe, and has great public schools.

While Rosyln Heights is considered one of the richest towns on Long Island, the home prices relative to many other communities on this ranking are somewhat lower. Roslyn Heights is adjacent to East Hills and Old Westbury. The median household income is much higher than the national average at $137,150, and 45% of households have incomes of more than $150,000.

East Hills is on the North Shore of Long Island, and it’s considered part of Greater Roslyn. It’s in the Town of North Hempstead, with a tiny portion also being in the Town of Oyster Bay. East Hills is a popular place to call home, especially among businesspeople.

Many of the homes are very spacious, often with six or more bedrooms and large yards. The residents of East Hills are described as being active and engaged, and the village has its own security force and private sanitation.

There are frequent community events held in the central park in East Hills, and there are restaurants and some shopping, although you have to leave town to find big box stores. You can get to Midtown Manhattan in 35 minutes to an hour by car, depending on traffic. The median household income in East Hills is $225,000, and 75% of households make more than $150,000 a year.

Muttontown is an incorporated village that BusinessWeek has ranked as one of the wealthiest towns in America. Muttontown is within the Town of Oyster Bay on Long Island’s North Shore. The town is adjacent to the Village of Brookville and the Village of Oyster Bay Cove. It’s one of the many communities on this list that are part of the Gold Coast of Long Island, known for its beautiful estates and nature preserves.

The cost of housing in Muttontown is estimated to be nearly 570% higher than the national average. Around 94% of the village’s residents own their homes, and the median rent is around $2,650. Among the accolades for Muttontown are the fact that it’s a top New York suburb for public schools, and it’s also a great place to raise a family. The median household income in Muttontown is nearly $213,000.

Many of Long Island’s richest towns are on what’s called the Gold Coast. This is the North Shore of Long Island, which runs along the northern coast of the island, bordering Long Island Sound. The North Shore has been known for its wealth since the early 20th century. During the Gilded Era, estates belonging to F.W. Woolworth, J.P. Morgan, and the Vanderbilts were built in the area. It remains one of the wealthiest areas in the country, and these communities make up the richest towns in Long Island.