Ocean Shores is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 7,549 people and just one neighborhood, Ocean Shores is the 120th largest community in Washington.
Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Ocean Shores is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Ocean Shores is a city of service providers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Ocean Shores who work in office and administrative support (17.29%), food service (14.51%), and healthcare suport services (9.94%).
Also of interest is that Ocean Shores 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: 12.04% 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 Shores is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the city’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 city 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!) Ocean Shores 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. Ocean Shores has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Ocean Shores than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Ocean Shores may be for you.
Ocean Shores 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.
As is often the case in a small city, Ocean Shores doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The education level of Ocean Shores citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 20.31% of adults 25 and older in Ocean Shores have a college degree.
The per capita income in Ocean Shores in 2022 was $33,662, which is lower middle income relative to Washington, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $134,648 for a family of four. However, Ocean Shores contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Ocean Shores is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ocean Shores home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ocean Shores residents report their race to be White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Ocean Shores include Irish, German, English, Norwegian, and French.
The most common language spoken in Ocean Shores is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Tagalog.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 32.8% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 95.8% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
If your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 4.9% of residents in the neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 98.1% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.
Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Long commutes can be brutal. They take time, money, and energy, leaving less of you for yourself and your family. The residents of the neighborhood unfortunately have the distinction of having, on average, a longer commute than most any neighborhood in America. 11.3% of commuters here travel more than one hour just one-way to work. That is more than two hours per day. This percentage with two-hour + round-trip commutes is higher than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.6% of all neighborhoods in America.
If you're planning where to retire, the neighborhood in Ocean Shores is a great option to consider. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive retirement dream area analysis, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety ratings compared to other neighborhoods in WA, offers a wide range of housing options, and has already attracted an enviable mix of college educated seniors. This neighborhood ranks as better for retirement living than 89.4% of the neighborhoods in Washington. If you are considering retiring to Washington, this is a good neighborhood to look at.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Finnish and Croatian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 3.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Finnish ancestry and 1.3% have Croatian ancestry.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Ocean Shores are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 74.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 11.0% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 51.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the neighborhood, 30.8% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, with 27.2% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (26.5%), and 15.5% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 93.2% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Polish, Tagalog (the first language of the Philippine region) and Spanish.
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in Ocean Shores, WA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (22.1%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (15.8%), and residents who report English roots (11.5%), and some of the residents are also of Norwegian ancestry (9.1%), along with some Native American ancestry residents (3.8%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (57.0% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America. However, there is also a significant group of residents (11.3%) who commute over an hour in each direction.
Here most residents (61.4%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (12.6%) and 9.0% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.