Ocean Isle Beach is a tiny coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 958 people and four associated neighborhoods, Ocean Isle Beach is the 417th largest community in North Carolina.

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

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.23% 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 Ocean Isle Beach is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Ocean Isle Beach’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, Ocean Isle Beach is worth considering.

One of the nice things about Ocean Isle Beach 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.

Being a small town, Ocean Isle Beach does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

If knowledge is power, Ocean Isle Beach is a pretty powerful place. 54.70% of the adults in Ocean Isle Beach 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 Ocean Isle Beach in 2022 was $63,760, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $255,040 for a family of four. However, Ocean Isle Beach contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

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

The most common language spoken in Ocean Isle Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.