Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,337, settled in 1999.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C, 145th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. It is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $602K, 7.9 years of the Wilmington metro’s $76K median household income. 42% of residents are 65 or older in Oak Island, above both the North Carolina town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On history, just 8 of North Carolina’s 451 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Bill Smith Park, at 33 acres.
Where Oak Island beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
6,783 counted in 2010 and 8,396 in 2020; an estimated 9,337 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.2% since 2020, after 23.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Oak Island is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,571 in 2000, 8,396 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oak Island, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Oak Island.
Oak Island is a second-home town, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of North Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of North Carolina.
At 7.9 years of the Wilmington metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $602K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of North Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,156, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
90% of Oak Island households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026. Oak Island’s median rent is $1,339 a month.
| Oak Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,339 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
44.8% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 3.9% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
7.1% of residents are under 18 in Oak Island. Oak Island has grown 11% since 2020, to 9,337 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Oak Island is 62.3 years.
| Oak Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 7.1% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 62.3 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 76% are men (NC 51%). Median age: women 62.4, men 62.2.
| Oak Island | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.1% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 26.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 29.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.9% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.6% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.4% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
13 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bill Smith Park | — | 33 |
| 2. Middleton Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
| 3. Duke Energy: Dutchman Creek Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $1,288 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 912 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 228 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1986, 912 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oak Island.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 289 North Carolina towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Oak Island. Oak Island beats the North Carolina average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Oak Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 80% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Oak Island | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.7% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.7% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 1,084 in 2013 to 2,017. 24.9% of workers work from home, against 16.3% across North Carolina.
Most working residents leave Oak Island for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Oak Island has added 933 jobs, to 2,017 in 2023. The top destinations are Wilmington (11%), Southport (5%) and Charlotte (3%).
| Oak Island | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Oak Island has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89° and January nights drop to 37°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oak Island. Close and well known come first.
14 mi LandmarkFort Fisher
15 mi GardenOrton Plantation
14 mi MuseumBrunswick Town
35 mi National BattlefieldMoores Creek National Battlefield56K visitors a year26 mi GardenAirlie Gardens
23 mi TheatreThalian HallFort Fisher: Eric T. Gunther, CC BY 3.0 · Orton Plantation: AgnosticPreachersKid., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brunswick Town: Brunswick1726, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Moores Creek National Battlefield: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Thalian Hall: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oak Island
About 3 of every 100 Oak Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Where Oak Island’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in the United States
Oak Island is a seaside town located in the southeastern corner of North Carolina, United States. Part of Brunswick County, the major portion of the town is on Oak Island which it shares with Caswell Beach. Founded in 1999 as the result of the consolidation of two existing towns, Oak Island's main industry is tourism. Per the 2020 census, the town has a permanent population of 8,396 while its summer population is near 50,000. It along with the town of Caswell Beach is part of the Wilmington, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Oak Island.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Island | #145 | C | C− | — | B− | A− |
| St. James | #94 | B− | C | — | B− | A− |
| Boiling Spring Lakes | #167 | C | C+ | B− | B− | B |
| Caswell Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Oak Island and St. James report no FBI crime data of their own. Caswell Beach isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oak Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oak Island grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #145 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A− for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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