Oak Island is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 9,322 people and four associated neighborhoods, Oak Island is the 112th largest community in North Carolina.

Oak Island home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Oak Island real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Oak Island has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 22.12% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Oak Island is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Oak Island has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Oak Island has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Oak Island than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Oak Island may be for you.

Oak Island is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

The education level of Oak Island ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Oak Island, 40.80% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Oak Island in 2022 was $56,481, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $225,924 for a family of four. However, Oak Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Oak Island home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oak Island residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Oak Island include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Oak Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Polish.