Living in Old Brookville, New York: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 12.6% above the U.S. average in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Old Brookville to say.
A safer neighborhood0 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 0.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byNorthwell Hospital Glen Cove in Glen Cove, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew York is about 21 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Old Brookville meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Old Brookville runs into the built-up area around New York (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $2,000,000 or moreU.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Nassau County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $2,346 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $250,000 or moreU.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearNew York: $6,582
Homes built before 1940: 15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 112.6U.S. average = 100 (the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, not Old Brookville alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,0982020: 2,066
Median age: 46.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 25%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (32%); professional and business services (21%); finance, insurance and real estate (17%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 40 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 27%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 1%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northwell Hospital Glen Cove, Glen Cove, NY, about 3 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Old Brookville, run by North Shore Central School District and Glen Cove City School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Long Island University (10,000 to 19,999 students); New York Institute of Technology (5,000 to 9,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on New York's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 88%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 27°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 16 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 83 a year
Rain and melted snow: 45.3 inches a year
Snow: 18 inches a year
Elevation: 134 feet

Weather station: Mineola (7 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Northwell Hospital Glen CoveEmergency room3

Hempstead, NYCity of 60,0009

New York, NYMetro of 20.1 million21

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Northwell Hospital Glen Cove, Hempstead, New York.

Nassau County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site6 miles
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site12 miles
Gateway National Recreation Area17 miles
Hamilton Grange National Memorial18 miles
General Grant National Memorial19 miles

Campus life. Check Long Island University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Old Brookville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Old Brookville?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Glen Head, NY4,700 people, 1 miles
Glenwood Landing, NY3,900 people, 2 miles
Upper Brookville, NY1,800 people, 2 miles
Sea Cliff, NY5,000 people, 2 miles
Roslyn Harbor, NY1,100 people, 3 miles
Brookville, NY3,000 people, 3 miles

Smaller places

Greenvale, NY (unincorporated)1,113 people, 2 miles
Matinecock, NY854 people, 2 miles
Plandome Manor, NY823 people, 5 miles
Centre Island, NY394 people, 6 miles
Cove Neck, NY293 people, 7 miles
Great Neck Gardens, NY (unincorporated)1,492 people, 7 miles
Russell Gardens, NY900 people, 7 miles
Saddle Rock Estates, NY (unincorporated)485 people, 8 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.