Is Ocean Shores a good place to live?
Ocean Shores grades D overall, ranked 248th of 285 in Washington, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $58K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. One bright spot: it reports less crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns. Ocean Shores’ July high is 66°F, against 77°F in Washington’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Ocean Shores is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Only 38 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on hazard risk.
What makes Ocean Shores stand out
Where Ocean Shores beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Ocean Shores has grown 42% since 2010
5,569 counted in 2010 and 6,715 in 2020; an estimated 7,892 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 17.6% since 2020, after 20.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Ocean Shores grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Ocean Shores is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Ocean Shores: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ocean Shores, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ocean Shores.
Ocean Shores is a second-home town and fares better on crime within Washington than nationally, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Ocean Shores’ grade for schools is a C−
Public schools: the North Beach School District No. 64. Its one school is below. Ocean Shores’ only public school teaches 254 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Shores ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 254 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Top of a very high hazard risk in Ocean Shores: tsunamis
Of the losses FEMA expects in Ocean Shores, 95% come from tsunamis. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 90% of U.S. communities. 11 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1999.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical home in Ocean Shores: about $333K
The typical value, about $333K, is 11% below its June 2022 peak.
The share of households in Ocean Shores who are owner-occupiers: 83%. Values fell 3% in the year to September 2026. The going rate for rent for Ocean Shores comes to $1,284 a month.
| Ocean Shores | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,284 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ocean Shores’ grade for safety is an A−
At 9.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Washington’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
In Ocean Shores, the level of property crime is 7.4 per 1,000 residents. Ocean Shores’ violent offense rate comes in at 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Ocean Shores | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ocean Shores has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
About one in four of Ocean Shores’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Seattle (8%), Aberdeen (5%) and Bellevue (3%). For half of commuters, work is under 50 miles away. Since 2013, Ocean Shores has added 79 jobs, to 1,160 in 2023.
| Ocean Shores | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Conservation land takes up 17.2% of Ocean Shores
Trails run 9.6 miles in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Oyhut Wildlife Area, at 682 acres. Ocean Shores’ concentration of trails stands at 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seashore Conservation Area | 3.9 mi | 529 |
| 2. Weatherwax Nature Preserve | 1.4 mi | 73 |
| 3. Oyhut Wildlife Area | 0.4 mi | 682 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mild winters and pleasant summers in Ocean Shores
July afternoons average 65.6°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 37.5°.
Of the 285 Washington towns we compare, none has a higher January low than Ocean Shores. Snowfall is close to zero.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of Washington and the rest of the country, more of Ocean Shores’ adults have high blood pressure
The nearest emergency room, Grays Harbor Community Hospital, is 24.9 miles away in a straight line. Against the 8,408 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ocean Shores’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Only one of the 285 Washington towns we compare has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Ocean Shores. The town beats the Washington average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| Ocean Shores | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ocean Shores | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 16.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.1% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Ocean Shores
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ocean Shores; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ocean Shores residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
10 miles of trails in Ocean Shores
17.2% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
About Ocean Shores
City in Washington, United States
Ocean Shores is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,715 at the 2020 census, and according to 2024 census estimates, the city has a population of 7,731.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 23 ft
- ZIP code
- 98569
- Area code
- 360
Questions about Ocean Shores
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ocean Shores, WA a good place to live?
Ocean Shores grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #248 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ocean Shores, WA expensive?
Yes. That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($64,414 across the Aberdeen, WA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.