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 9,480 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.

A relatively large number of people in Oak Island telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 21.42% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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 vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Oak Island has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Oak Island a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

One of the nice things about Oak Island is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy 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, 43.01% 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 $59,851, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $239,404 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.