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CITY

Oak Island

North Carolina · 9,337 residents (2025 est.) · 19.3 sq mi
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Part of the Wilmington metro area
The short version

Oak Island is home to 9,030 people in North Carolina. At a median age of 62.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 90% of homes are owner-occupied. Growth has run 37% since 2000, or 2,459 more people. The foreign-born share is 2%. 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 62.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
44% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 117%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
9,030
+37%since 2000
from 6,571 in 2000
9,337 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
2000 – 2025
Population density
469 / sq mi
+12%since 2009
from 420 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
62.3
+27%since 2000
from 49.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
19.3 sq mi
Population, 2000 – 2024
6K7K8K9K9K2000201020202024Oak Island
20249K
2000201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 51.3%(116)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 91.4%(129)
US avg: 6%
10 to 142.5%(229)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 192.9%(266)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 241.7%(153)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 342.8%(251)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 444.1%(370)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5415%(1,353)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6426.2%(2,367)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7429.9%(2,700)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 8410.5%(949)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(147)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,872
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,496 in 2000
US average: $82,259
2000 – 2024
Per capita income
$64,025
+167%since 2000
from $23,964 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
56.1%
+29.8 ptssince 2009
from 26.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 8.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.469
+14%since 2010
from 0.413 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services13.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Information9.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance8.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade8.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration7.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical5.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade4.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Education & health services3.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$456,500
+117%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $115,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
2000 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,339
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $704 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
89.7%
+10.8 ptssince 2000
from 78.9% in 2000
10.3% rent
Vacancy rate
57.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 56.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
1.96 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.06 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
27.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
55.7%
+15.6 ptssince 2009
from 40.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.3
−9%since 2009
from 5.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
71
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic97.6%(6,414)
Black0.4%(28)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(49)
Asian0.1%(6)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic94.1%(8,500)
Black0.7%(66)
Hispanic / Latino1.1%(97)
Asian0.7%(61)
Other3.4%(306)
Diversity Score
14
+4%since 2009
from 13 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican0.4%(33)
Argentine0.2%(15)
Uruguayan0.1%(11)
Cuban0.1%(9)
Mexican0.1%(7)
Asian origin
Chinese0.4%(35)
Thai0.2%(18)
Ancestry
English21.5%(1,942)
German18%(1,628)
Irish15.2%(1,369)
American7.9%(709)
Italian7.7%(698)
Scotch-Irish4.1%(367)
Scottish3.4%(311)
French3.3%(300)
Polish2.7%(244)
Dutch0.8%(70)
Portuguese0.7%(63)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.7%(61)
Swedish0.6%(56)
British0.6%(54)
Lithuanian0.4%(40)
Welsh0.4%(40)
Canadian0.4%(38)
Brazilian0.4%(33)
Finnish0.4%(32)
Arab0.3%(26)
Greek0.3%(24)
Hungarian0.3%(23)
Russian0.3%(23)
Serbian0.2%(16)
Austrian0.2%(15)
Norwegian0.2%(15)
Croatian0.2%(14)
Guyanese0.2%(14)
Ukrainian0.1%(13)
Lebanese0.1%(11)
Swiss0.1%(10)
Slovak0.1%(8)
Syrian0.1%(6)
Czech0.1%(5)
Latvian0%(4)
Belgian0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
43.6%
+24.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.8%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 87.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.2%
+9.5 ptssince 2000
from 6.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.4 min
+28%since 2000
from 18.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
66.9%
−4.7 ptssince 2009
from 71.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
4.4%
−12.8 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.9%
+19.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.0%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 5.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
44.1%
−18.8 ptssince 2011
from 62.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
59.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 60.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
10.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
47.4%
+13.9 ptssince 2009
from 33.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
52.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
1.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
12.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 13.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.8%
+4.1 ptssince 2012
from 10.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.0%
−15.7 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.7%
+12.8 ptssince 2017
from 81.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.6%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 96.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 85.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
98.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2016
from 96.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2016
from 2.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married12.5%(501)
Married72%(2,894)
Widowed4.7%(190)
Divorced10.8%(436)
Women 15+
Never married10.4%(470)
Married64.9%(2,943)
Widowed5.5%(250)
Divorced19.2%(872)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.0%
−15.7 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
47.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 48.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
29.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 30.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
44.2%
+6.0 ptssince 2020
from 38.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
8.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 7.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
5.0%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 3.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
75.5%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 77.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
50.8%
+8.5 ptssince 2020
from 42.3% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27.8%(295)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)31.3%(332)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.6%(325)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4%(42)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,061 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Oak Island

Citrus Hills
Pop 9,304
Fruitland Park
Pop 9,543
Mascotte
Pop 10,150
Marathon
Pop 10,060
Places similar to Oak Island
Head to head

Compare Oak Island to nearby cities

OAK ISLAND VS
Myrtle Grove
Income$113,463+32%
Home value$439,100−4%
Population12,637+35%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OAK ISLAND VS
Leland
Income$91,977+7%
Home value$398,900−13%
Population35,731+283%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OAK ISLAND VS
Wilmington
Income$66,738−22%
Home value$383,800−16%
Population126,809+1258%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OAK ISLAND VS
Kings Grant
Income$62,232−28%
Home value$300,700−34%
Population9,003−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Oak Island, North Carolina?

Oak Island, North Carolina has about 9,030 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Oak Island, North Carolina?

The typical household in Oak Island, North Carolina earns about $85,872 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Oak Island, North Carolina expensive?

In Oak Island, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $456,500, and the typical rent is about $1,339 a month.

How educated are people in Oak Island, North Carolina?

About 43.6% of adults age 25 and over in Oak Island, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Oak Island, North Carolina?

About 8.7% of people in Oak Island, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →