Montauk is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 4,318 people and two associated neighborhoods, Montauk is the 364th largest community in New York.
Montauk home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but Montauk real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 20.53% 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.
Another notable thing is that Montauk is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.
In addition, Montauk is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
Because of many things, Montauk 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, Montauk really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Montauk 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.
It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Montauk has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Montauk has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Montauk than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Montauk may be for you.
Montauk 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.
Despite being a small town, Montauk has a lot of people using the subway to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on the subway are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.
The education level of Montauk ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Montauk, 49.43% 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 Montauk in 2022 was $83,843, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $335,372 for a family of four.
The people who call Montauk home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Montauk residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Montauk include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Russian.
The most common language spoken in Montauk is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Other Indo-European.