Nantucket is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 14,670 people and six associated neighborhoods, Nantucket is the 145th largest community in Massachusetts.

Nantucket home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Nantucket real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Nantucket is also a town of artists. Nantucket has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Nantucket’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 12.96% 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 Nantucket 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.

Nantucket 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 17.07 minutes getting to work every day.

If knowledge is power, Nantucket is a pretty powerful place. 56.32% of the adults in Nantucket have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Nantucket in 2022 was $77,014, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $308,056 for a family of four.

Nantucket is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Nantucket home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Nantucket residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Nantucket also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 17.03% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Nantucket include Irish, English, Italian, German, and French.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Nantucket's cultural character, accounting for 15.81% of the town’s population.

The most common language spoken in Nantucket is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Slavic languages.