When it separated from the Town of Huntington in 1872, the Town of Babylon had a population of about 3,000 people. The chart below illustrates the population growth of East Farmingdale and the Town of Babylon.
Decade
| Pinelawn Population
| East Farmingdale Population
| Town of Babylon Population
|
|
|---|
1920 | 50 | n/a | 24,297 | Please note: While the boundaries of the Town of Babylon are clearly defined and have remained the same since 1872, the “boundaries” of the hamlets are not clearly defined. In the census, hamlets are referred to as Census Designated Places (CDP), the boundaries of which can change from decade to decade. |
1940 | 40 | n/a | 45,556 |
1960 | 4,174 | 3,962 | 142,309 |
1980 | n/a | 13,140 | 203,483 |
2000 | n/a | 16,572 | 211,703 |
2020 | n/a | 18,643 | 218,223 |
Up through the 1940 census, there was not a Census Designated Place for Pinelawn or East Farmingdale. (The figures for 1920 and 1940 were estimates from other publications.) In the 1960 and 1970 censuses, there were separate counts for Pinelawn and for East Farmingdale. Starting in 1980, only the name East Farmingdale was used by the census.
The largest and fastest increase in population occurred after World War II, commonly referred to as the “Suburban Population Boom.” From 1940 to 1960, the population of the Town of Babylon increased by 485%. The rapid increase of residents brought an increased need for housing, schools, road improvements, stores and commercial developments, and employment. In those short decades, much of the Town of Babylon and its communities changed from rural countryside to suburban neighborhoods.