Oak Island, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

9,030

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

62.3

1.3% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.66%

11.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$85,872

2.86% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$456,500

Population & Diversity

Oak Island, NC is home to a population of 9.03k people, from which 99.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.78% of Oak Island, NC residents were born outside of the country (161 people).

In 2024, there were 54.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.5k people) in Oak Island, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 155 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 79 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.8% of Oak Island, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Oak Island, NC was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Oak Island, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Oak Island, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.5k ± 168
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
155 ± 124
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
79 ± 60

1.07%

Hispanic Population

97 people

1.07% of the people in Oak Island, NC are hispanic (97 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Oak Island, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

1.78%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

161 people

1.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

169 people

As of 2024, 1.78% of Oak Island, NC residents (161 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Oak Island, NC was 1.9%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Oak Island, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
295 ± 131
Vietnam
291 ± 85
Gulf War (1990s)
214 ± 88

Oak Island, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.01 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Oak Island, NC.

Economy

The economy of Oak Island, NC employs 3.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Oak Island, NC were Public Administration (419 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (367 people), and Retail Trade (350 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($212,500), Utilities ($136,520), and Finance & Insurance ($107,857).

Employment

Occupations

3.6k

2024 Value

± 418

−4.35%

1 Year decline

± 16.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oak Island, NC declined at a rate of −4.35%, from 3.77k employees to 3.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Oak Island, NC, are Management Occupations (749 people), Sales & Related Occupations (623 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (353 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Oak Island, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.6k

2024 Value

± 418

−4.35%

1 Year decline

± 16.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oak Island, NC declined at a rate of −4.35%, from 3.77k employees to 3.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Oak Island, NC, are Public Administration (419 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (367 people), and Retail Trade (350 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Oak Island, NC, though some of these residents may live in Oak Island, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,596

Median earning men ± $10,990

$65,625

Median earning women ± $7,775

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($212,500), Wholesale Trade ($107,500), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($101,795).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($105,313), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($80,956), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($77,500).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Oak Island, NC was $456,500 in 2024, which is 1.37 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $407,400 to $456,500, a 12.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Oak Island, NC is 89.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Oak Island, NC have an average commute time of 23.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Oak Island, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$456,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,101

$4,126

Median Property Taxes

±$401

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Oak Island, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Oak Island, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

89.7%

Homeownership

2024

66%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 89.7% of the housing units in Oak Island, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 87.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Oak Island, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$85,872

Median Household Income

± $7,281

4.6k

Number of Households

± 428

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.6k households in Oak Island, NC grew to $85,872 from the previous year's value of $83,483.

The following chart displays the households in Oak Island, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Oak Island, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (66.9%)
Worked At Home (24.9%)
Carpooled (4.43%)

In 2024, 66.9% of workers in Oak Island, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (24.9%) and those who carpooled to work (4.43%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Oak Island, NC have a shorter commute time (23.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.57% of the workforce in Oak Island, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Oak Island, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Oak Island, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Oak Island, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.66% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Oak Island, NC (779 out of 9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Oak Island, NC is White, followed by Other and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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