Hampton Bays is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,236 at the 2000 census.
Hampton Bays is in the Town of Southampton.
Like most of the other communities in the Hamptons region, tourism is a critical component of the local economy.
Commercial fishing remains a vital part of the Hampton Bays economy, centered around the fishing station at Shinnecock Inlet. After Montauk, Hampton Bays is the second-busiest commercial fishing port in the state of New York. According to 2006 statisics by the National Marine Fisheries Service, 6.1 million pounds of finfish and shellfish, worth $8.0 million, were landed in the Hampton Bays/Shinnecock port.
Hampton Bays was recently used as the set of the movie Margot at the Wedding starring Nicole Kidman and Jack Black. The movie opened in limited released November 16, 2007.
View the Hampton Bays Webcam