What percentage of people rent in Oak Island, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Oak Island, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

10.3% (±3.3 points) of the occupied homes in Oak Island, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 476 renting households against 4,126 that own their home.

In Oak Island, the share of households that rent went from 17.6% in 2015–2019 to 10.3% in 2020–2024 (−7.3 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 10.3% (±3.3 points)
Renting households: 476 (±154)
Median renter income: $44,149 (±$29,341)

Who rents and who owns in Oak Island

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Oak Island	Brunswick County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	10.3% (±3.3 points)	15.4% (±1.2 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	476 (±154)	10,652 (±897)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	4,126 (±282)	58,472 (±1,096)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.8 (±0.4)	2.2 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$44,149 (±$29,341)	$48,968 (±$3,548)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$89,471 (±$10,739)	$82,429 (±$2,941)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Oak Island, the renter share is lower than in Brunswick County (15.4%).

It is also lower than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Brunswick County, Oak Island ranks 12 of 19 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 593 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Oak Island has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	17.6% (±2.8 points)	10.3% (±3.3 points)	−7.3 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,072 (±$52)	$1,339 (±$148)	+24.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$72,821 (±$8,150)	$85,872 (±$7,281)	+17.9%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Oak Island

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Oak Island
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Oak Island	—	10.3% (±3.3 points)	—
St. James	2.4 mi	3.6% (±2.5 points)	Lower
Caswell Beach	4.1 mi	6.6% (±5.3 points)	Not measurably different
Southport	6.5 mi	19.8% (±7.6 points)	Higher
Varnamtown	6.9 mi	6.3% (±5.1 points)	Not measurably different
Bald Head Island	8.6 mi	1.9% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Boiling Spring Lakes	9.4 mi	18.4% (±8.0 points)	Not measurably different
Bolivia	11 mi	12.9% (±12.0 points)	Not measurably different
Holden Beach	12 mi	5.4% (±3.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: St. James, NC (3.6%), Bald Head Island, NC (1.9%), Holden Beach, NC (5.4%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Southport, NC (19.8%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Brunswick County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
6	Leland	19.4% (±3.4 points)
7	Boiling Spring Lakes	18.4% (±8.0 points)
8	Sunset Beach	13.6% (±9.1 points)
9	Bolivia	12.9% (±12.0 points)
10	Sandy Creek	12.3% (±11.0 points)
11	Northwest	10.7% (±10.0 points)
12	Oak Island	10.3% (±3.3 points)
13	Caswell Beach	6.6% (±5.3 points)
14	Varnamtown	6.3% (±5.1 points)
15	Holden Beach	5.4% (±3.1 points)
16	Carolina Shores	5.3% (±3.4 points)
17	St. James	3.6% (±2.5 points)
18	Ocean Isle Beach	3.5% (±2.7 points)

Showing 13 of 19 places in Brunswick County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Oak Island

How many renters are there in Oak Island?

Oak Island has an estimated 476 (±154) renting households, 10.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Oak Island?

In Oak Island, the share of households that rent went from 17.6% in 2015–2019 to 10.3% in 2020–2024 (−7.3 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Oak Island?

A renting household in Oak Island has 1.8 people on average, against 2.0 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Oak Island?

The median renting household in Oak Island, NC has an income of $44,149 (±$29,341) a year, against $89,471 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Oak Island town, North Carolina (place:48345, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.