Islip is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 18,418 people and five associated neighborhoods, Islip is the 100th largest community in New York.

Housing costs in Islip 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.

Also of interest is that Islip has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 8.05% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

One of the nice things about Islip is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The population of Islip is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 34.29% of adults in Islip have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Islip in 2022 was $49,570, which is upper middle income relative to New York, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $198,280 for a family of four.

Islip is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Islip home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Islip residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Islip also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 16.01% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Islip include Italian, Irish, German, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Islip is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.