Oak Harbor, WA

Micro Area Profile

86,836 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area.

65out of 100
Area Score
Top 24% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 3% of 835 metro and micro areas measured83
SchoolsTop 30% of 695 metro and micro areas measured65
Growth483rd of 834 metro and micro areas measured45
Housing affordability800th of 835 metro and micro areas measured43
ClimateTop 25% of 835 metro and micro areas measured74
Physical resilienceTop 43% of 835 metro and micro areas measured61
Access519th of 835 metro and micro areas measured71
Economic stabilityTop 28% of 835 metro and micro areas measured70
The quick read

Oak Harbor ranks in the top 3% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.4% and median household income of $90,551.

In the public schools here, 49% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 16.9 students for every teacher.

268 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 12% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
86,836
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$90,551
Top 7% nationally
Density
417/sq mi
208.5 sq mi of land
Median age
44.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Washington
Nearest major airport
BFI
47 mi · Boeing Fld/King County Intl
Median home value
$593,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.4%, lower than in 80% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 2.1% over the past year, to 34,115 employed residents.

37% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 83% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Median household income of $90,551 is higher than in 93% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$4,0012024 ACS 5-Year$90,551Top 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,4532024 ACS 5-Year$47,282Top 9%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year7.8%Top 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year27.7 minBottom 18%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year36.6%Top 17%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year68.7%9th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202634,115Bottom 46%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.0%Top 35%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+2.1%Top 8%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202635,30546th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year74.7%Bottom 38%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year2.1%94th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.9%Top 15%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.4%Top 20%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year14.1%85th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.23.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.4% in July 2026. It has been falling for the last 3 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

49% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 65% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 16.9 students for every full-time teacher across 18 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
25
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
16.9
across 18 of them
Math proficiency
49.4%
Top 26% in Washington
Reading proficiency
64.8%
Top 21% in Washington
The 12 largest of 25 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Oak Harbor High SchoolOak Harbor School District1,56219.338%66%
Oak Harbor Intermediate SchoolOak Harbor School District76717.447%60%
North Whidbey Middle SchoolOak Harbor School District70516.448%61%
Coupeville Elementary SchoolCoupeville School District49219.757%72%
South Whidbey ElementarySouth Whidbey School District48517.344%59%
Hillcrest ElementaryOak Harbor School District46014.866%67%
Crescent Harbor ElemOak Harbor School District41914.452%57%
Olympic View ElemOak Harbor School District41112.837%37%
Oak Harbor ElementaryOak Harbor School District41115.257%57%
Utsalady ElementaryStanwood-Camano School District39115.657%72%
South Whidbey High SchoolSouth Whidbey School District39017.762%82%
HomeconnectionOak Harbor School District38564.245%75%

41.4% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Washington’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,999 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.67% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,671, close to the $1,662 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,671 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $66,800 a year, about 74% of the median household income here of $90,551.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,662 a month.

A median home at $593,300 costs 5.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $102,975, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
31.5%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
5.8×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,671
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,662
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$593,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Oak Harbor’s median household income of $90,551, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year5.8Bottom 3%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year74.7%80th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±662024 ACS 5-Year42,74455th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,356Bottom 12%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,324Bottom 8%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,671Bottom 12%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$532024 ACS 5-Year$1,662Bottom 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$14,8962024 ACS 5-Year$593,30096th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1062024 ACS 5-Year$3,99990th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,2032024 ACS 5-Year$102,975Top 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year0.67%34th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year31.5%Bottom 19%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±5542024 ACS 5-Year4,29980th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year10.1%86th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.8%27th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±6462024 ACS 5-Year6,77263rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

45/ 100
Ranks 483 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 86,478 in 2024.

At 3.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
268
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.1
Top 42% nationally
Year over year
−12%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
38.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202488k86k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 69°F and January a low of 38°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 19.9 inches, including 5.4 inches of snow.

30°50°70°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station WHIDBEY ISLAND NAS, 13.2 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals19.9"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals5.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals38°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals69°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals19°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

61 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, inland flooding and landslide, with earthquake alone responsible for 57% of it. Inland flooding and landslide are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

EarthquakeHigh
Volcanic activityModerate
Coastal floodingElevated
TsunamiModerate
AvalancheModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, ice storm, inland flooding, cold wave, winter weather, wildfire, heat wave, lightning, tornado, hail, strong wind, drought, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Boeing Fld/King County Intl at 47 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year94.8%Top 1%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle47 miBottom 42%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 16%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year3.0%Top 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Boeing Fld/King County IntlBFI47 mi10,007 ft
Seattle-Tacoma IntlSEA52 mi11,901 ft
Grant County IntlMWH169 mi13,503 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
65
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.