KINGS PARK, NY – While many employers have encouraged workers to return to the office, working from home remains a reality for thousands of Long Islanders. The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that nearly 162,000 residents across Nassau and Suffolk counties primarily worked from home, representing about one out of every nine workers on Long Island.
An analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates found that 79,769 workers in Nassau County and 82,031 workers in Suffolk County usually worked from home. Combined, the two counties had an estimated 161,800 home-based workers, representing approximately 11.1% of Long Island workers age 16 and older.
Nearly 162,000 Long Islanders Primarily Worked From Home
The Census estimates show that Nassau County had 685,674 workers age 16 and older in 2024, including 79,769 who usually worked from home. Suffolk County had 773,512 workers, including 82,031 who worked from home.
Suffolk County had a slightly larger number of home-based workers, but Nassau County had the higher percentage. Approximately 11.63% of Nassau workers worked from home, compared with 10.60% of workers in Suffolk.
| 2024 Work-From-Home Estimates | Total Workers | Worked From Home | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nassau County | 685,674 | 79,769 | 11.63% |
| Suffolk County | 773,512 | 82,031 | 10.60% |
| Long Island* | 1,459,186 | 161,800 | 11.09% |
| New York State | 9,557,920 | 1,124,869 | 11.77% |
| United States | 165,360,450 | 22,026,371 | 13.32% |
Long Island’s Rate Was Below the State and National Rates
Although working from home remained common on Long Island, the region’s estimated 11.09% rate was slightly below the New York State rate of 11.77% and more noticeably below the national rate of 13.32%.
Statewide, nearly 1.125 million of New York’s approximately 9.56 million workers usually worked from home. Across the United States, approximately 22.03 million of 165.36 million workers did so.
The Long Island rate was approximately 0.68 percentage points below the statewide rate and 2.23 percentage points below the national rate. Although Long Island’s work-from-home rate was below the state and national averages, nearly 162,000 residents primarily worked from home. In a region known for long commutes and significant travel into New York City, remote work continues to represent a substantial segment of the workforce.
What the Census Figures Actually Measure
The figures do not represent every Long Island resident who worked remotely at least occasionally. The American Community Survey asks employed respondents age 16 and older how they usually got to work during the previous week. Respondents who selected “worked from home” are counted as home-based workers in this table.
This distinction is important because a hybrid employee who worked at home for one or two days but traveled to an office on most workdays may have reported another primary means of transportation. As a result, the estimate of 161,800 should be understood as the number of workers who identified working from home as their usual work arrangement, not the total number who had any opportunity to work remotely.
Remote Work Remains Common After the Pandemic
Working from home expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Census Bureau research found that approximately 5.7% of U.S. workers usually worked from home in 2019, compared with 13.32% in the latest 2024 national estimates.
The nationwide share has declined from the unusually high levels recorded during the pandemic, but the Census Bureau has reported that working from home remains more than twice as common nationally as it was before COVID-19. The Long Island figures show that home-based work also continues to represent a meaningful portion of the regional labor force.
The Role of Remote Work on Long Island
Remote and hybrid work arrangements can influence more than where employees perform their jobs. They can affect commuting schedules, demand for office space, household transportation costs, daytime activity in residential communities, and decisions about where workers choose to live.
For Long Islanders who previously traveled long distances to New York City or other employment centers, working from home can eliminate hours of weekly commuting. Even hybrid arrangements may reduce the number of days spent driving or using public transportation, although those workers are not necessarily included in the Census work-from-home category.
Not every occupation can be performed remotely. Many jobs in healthcare, education, construction, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, emergency services, and other major Long Island industries continue to require employees to be physically present. The Census figures therefore reflect both the availability of remote-compatible jobs and the mixture of industries and occupations represented in the regional economy.
A Continuing Change in Long Island’s Workforce
The findings add another dimension to the broader demographic and economic changes occurring across Long Island. As previously reported by Long Island Guide, Nassau and Suffolk counties have also experienced a notable demographic shift involving growth among older residents and declines among younger age groups.
Remote work alone cannot explain those broader trends, but workplace flexibility can influence decisions about housing, commuting, family life, and whether residents remain in or relocate from the region. The latest figures demonstrate that working from home is no longer limited to a small number of employees. It remains the usual work arrangement for nearly 162,000 people across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Methodology
This analysis is based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B08006: “Sex of Workers by Means of Transportation to Work“. The table covers workers age 16 and older and reports survey estimates with published margins of error. The Census Bureau does not publish Nassau and Suffolk counties as a single Long Island geography in this table. LongIslandGuide.com calculated the Long Island totals by combining the official estimates for Nassau and Suffolk counties. The regional work-from-home percentage was calculated by dividing the estimated 161,800 workers who primarily worked from home by the combined workforce estimate of 1,459,186. County, state, and national figures are survey estimates rather than exact administrative counts. While the share of Americans working from home has declined from the unusually high levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest Census estimates indicate that remote work continues to represent a meaningful part of Long Island’s workforce. According to the 2024 estimates, approximately one in nine Long Island workers primarily worked from home.
