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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 13.62% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

East Rockaway 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.

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.

In East Rockaway, a lot of people use the train to get to work every day though East Rockaway is a relatively small village. Those that ride the train are primarily traveling out of town 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.