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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-OCEAN-ISLE-BEACH-NC · Ocean Isle Beach, NC 796 pop · income 77th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Ocean Isle Beach
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ocean Isle Beach on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Silver · lowest
16,466
Silver · lowest
16,466 median HH income
14.5% of the leader · rank #1
Burnt Store M… · near
99,214
Burnt Store M… · near
99,214 median HH income
87.2% of the leader · rank #2
Union Mills · near
99,219
Union Mills · near
99,219 median HH income
87.2% of the leader · rank #3
Ocean Isle Be… · this city
99,231
Ocean Isle Be… · this city
99,231 median HH income
87.2% of the leader · rank #4
Hartland · near
99,232
Hartland · near
99,232 median HH income
87.2% of the leader · rank #5
Whiskey Creek · near
99,242
Whiskey Creek · near
99,242 median HH income
87.2% of the leader · rank #6
Ballard · highest
113,750
Ballard · highest
113,750 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ocean Isle Beach on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 796.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ocean Isle Beach - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Ocean Isle Beach lands in the 77th percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
77th
percentile, household income
94th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
14th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Ocean Isle Beach, NC
North Carolina's Ocean Isle Beach is a small town, with 796 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Ocean Isle Beach households earn a median of $99,231 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.3%. Typical homes in Ocean Isle Beach are valued around $754,300, and the median resident age is 67.9 years. 64.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 29.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 44 residential building permits were authorized in Ocean Isle Beach (Construction Slowdown), down 66% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Ocean Isle Beach's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3140.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,161 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across North Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 66.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ocean Isle Beach's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility to housing and income to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ocean Isle Beach, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Ocean Isle Beach?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Bogue (800 residents, $88,043 income); Varnamtown (792 residents, $68,750 income); Lilesville (791 residents, $54,250 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Keiser, AR (796 residents); Ballard, CA (796 residents); Coleman, FL (796 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Is Ocean Isle Beach growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +100 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +11.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 44 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the journey to work look like in Ocean Isle Beach?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 58.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
How far does income reach against housing in Ocean Isle Beach?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 7.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Ocean Isle Beach?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3140.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 38% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
3042.2
Violent rate
98.1
Total reported rate
3140.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
B+
City profile score · Ocean Isle Beach, NC
76/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A+
64.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B+
$99,231
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B+
3.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B
98 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Ocean Isle Beach profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 94/100 (A+) · 64.4%
Household income: 77/100 (B+) · $99,231
Poverty rate: 76/100 (B+) · 3.3%
Violent crime: 71/100 (B) · 98 /100k
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Where Ocean Isle Beach sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ocean Isle Beach's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Ocean Isle Beach highlighted among 22 peers.Read the chart values
Ocean Isle Beach, NC (this city): home $754,300, crime 3,140/100k
Newman, IL : home $106,700, crime 392/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Ocean Isle Beach compare to other US cities?
Ocean Isle Beach measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income77% higher than other cities
Home value94% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety14% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at North Carolina, Ocean Isle Beach ranks #114 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Ocean Isle Beach against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Ocean Isle Beach near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ocean Isle Beach ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ocean Isle Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#75 of 700
89th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#7 of 708
99th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#569 of 746
23rd percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#35 of 746
95th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
77th percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ocean Isle Beach's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ocean Isle Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Ocean Isle Beach's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$754,3006th percentilemore affordable than 6% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,907 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,944 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 7.6×, Ocean Isle Beach sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,907 of 15,516 and #10,944 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$99,231Ocean Isle Beach, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ocean Isle Beach, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ocean Isle Beach, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)64.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)29.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
796
Median Income
$99,231
Median Home Value
$754,300
Median Age
67.9
Poverty Rate
3.3%
Labor force participation
29.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
64.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3140.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
98.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3042.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ocean Isle Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
840 residents
2021
877 residents
2022
923 residents
2023
945 residents
2024
941 residents
2025
940 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
44
housing units authorized
Single-Family
44
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
55.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
128
128
0
$34.7M
2020
125
125
0
$37.5M
2021
182
182
0
$68.9M
2022
115
113
2
$63.0M
2023
75
75
0
$44.5M
2024
44
44
0
$34.5M
Permit volume decreased 66% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
58.5%
Carpool
3.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.1%
Work from Home
35.6%
Based on 236 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ocean Isle Beach. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ocean Isle Beach is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ocean Isle Beach sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ocean Isle Beach compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.