Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety97#31/924
Economy93#69/925
Housing11#819/925
Health97#26/925
Healthcare63#345/923
Environment94#57/917
Education92#72/925
Infrastructure91#86/925
Community77#212/925
Leisure & amenities80#186/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Food insecurity · low8.2%
100/100Washington 10.5%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Physical inactivity · low14.7%
100/100Washington 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · high94.8%
99/100Washington 93.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Preventable hospital stays · low1,258 /100k
98/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Hot days · low0 days
98/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · low10.2%
98/100Washington 12.2%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high6.6×
4/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high37.4%
13/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high26.2 min
16/100Washington 26.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent-burdened households · high53.7%
16/100Washington 50.0%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Mammography screening · low40.0%
19/100Washington 41.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New business applicationsImproving
8.2 /1k (2020) → 15.6 /1k (2025)
+89%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
1.0 /10k (2020) → 1.8 /10k (2025)
+69%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
23.6% (2020 & 2021) → 37.4% (2023 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Homicide rateImproving
3.9 /100k (2021) → 2.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Drought exposureWorsening
15% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+8.4 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Grocery storesImproving
1.1 /10k (2020) → 1.6 /10k (2025)
+42%5 yearsUS 1.7 /10k → 1.7 /10k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area improved on 16 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 8 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Weekly wage+40%$890 → $1,246
Grocery stores+42%1.1 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Gyms+69%1.0 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Suicides−44%23.0 /100k → 12.8 /100k
Pharmacies+22%0.6 /10k → 0.7 /10k

Declined3

Price / income+1.3×5.2× → 6.6×
Overdose deaths+10%12.6 /100k → 13.9 /100k
Traffic deaths+22%7.0 /100k → 8.5 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.6 /10k2020	6.1 /10k2025	+7.8%	Improved	47%
Average commute time	28.4 min2015-2019	26.2 min2020-2024	−2.2 min	Improved	97%
Average weekly wage	$8902020	$1,2462025	+40%	Improved	100%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.6%2015-2019	36.6%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	56%
Broadband subscriptions	90.6%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	5%
Child poverty rate	9.8%2015-2019	8.5%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Distance to an airport	54 mi2020	54 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	12.6 /100k2020	13.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+10%	Declined	22%
Effective property tax rate	0.77%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	45%
Firearm deaths	13.8 /100k2020	10.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−24%	Improved	86%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+42%	Improved	96%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+69%	Improved	93%
High school diploma or higher	95.3%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Home price to income ratio	5.2×2015-2019	6.6×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	5%
Income adjusted for local prices	$57,3692019	$76,0752024	+33%	Improved	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4232015-2019	0.4202020-2024	−0.003	Within the margin of error	65%
Median household income	$68,6042015-2019	$90,5512020-2024	+32%	Improved	76%
New business applications	8.2 /1k2020	15.6 /1k2025	+89%	Improved	92%
Pharmacies	0.6 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	+22%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	7.8%2015-2019	7.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Property crime rate	718 /100k2020	594 /100k2025	−17%	Improved	20%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−0.7%	Little change	57%
Public transit commuters	2.5%2015-2019	2.1%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent as share of income	29.7%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Rent-burdened households	49.3%2015-2019	53.7%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Restaurants and bars	7.6 /10k2020	8.3 /10k2025	+9.3%	Improved	77%
Suicide rate	23.0 /100k2020	12.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−44%	Improved	98%
Traffic deaths	7.0 /100k2015-2019	8.5 /100k2020-2024	+22%	Declined	26%
Unemployment rate	8.3%2020	4.6%2025	−3.7 points	Improved	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.4%2015-2019	6.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Violent crime rate	83 /100k2020	79 /100k2025	−4.7%	Little change	33%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area itself moved +4.4 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

86,836 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

35,972 households (±647)

Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k11%4,026
$25k–50k13%4,746
$50k–75k16%5,649

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

35,972 households (±647)

Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Own75%26,888
Rent25%9,084

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

38,902 workers (±881)

Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone69%26,711
Carpool10.0%3,883
Public transit2.1%†822

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Oak Harbor, WA has 1,941 employer establishments, 225 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248), with 14,486 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,915. The Census Bureau also counts 6,535 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,941; 6,535 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 225; US 248
Paid employees: 14,486
Average annual pay: $47,915; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Oak Harbor, WA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	198	23	1.48×More than typical	914	$64,158	269
Construction of buildings	152	17.6	2.33×More than typical	563	$63,544	198
Restaurants and other eating places	140	16.2	0.88×About typical	1,972	$30,804	21
Lessors of real estate	134	15.5	1.26×More than typical	337	$54,528	721
Ambulatory health care services	117	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	762	$55,108	392
Services to buildings and dwellings	102	11.8	1.76×More than typical	370	$41,957	338
Landscaping services	68	7.9	2.25×More than typical	275	$41,731	144
Real estate agents and brokers	68	7.9	1.62×More than typical	128	$58,617	235
Full-service restaurants	66	7.7	1.00×About typical	895	$35,978	9
Building equipment contractors	60	7	1.16×About typical	319	$73,006	38
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	54	6.3	1.99×More than typical	327	$62,128	26
Management, scientific and technical consulting	54	6.3	0.93×About typical	106	$54,443	334

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,194 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $78.2M on contracts performed in Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area: $913 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $78.2M; −48% vs FY2025
Per resident: $913; US $1,994
Sole-source: 75%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$68.1M87%
Defense Logistics Agency$3M

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $846.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area: $9,882 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $846.4M; −0.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,882; US $12,955
Loan face value: $85.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$570.4M67%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$150.3M18%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$31.2M3.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$30.2M3.6%
84.041 · Impact Aid$14.5M1.7%
64.028 · Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance$11M1.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$6.9M0.8%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$6.2M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

SCHOOL DIST #201 ISLAND COUNTY$14.4M1.7%
OAK HARBOR, WA
WASHINGTON ST DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$7.1M0.8%
OLYMPIA, WA
ISLAND COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY OF$3.5M0.4%
COUPEVILLE, WA
FIBERCLOUD, INC$2.3M0.3%
LANGLEY, WA
WESLEY POINT ASSOCIATES, A WASHINGTON LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$638.7M75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$171.9M20%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$14.5M1.7%
Federal Highway Administration$7.1M0.8%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$3.5M

Assistance by fiscal year

630.6MFY2021
654.8MFY2022
732.1MFY2023
783.1MFY2024
854MFY2025
846.4MFY2026

County aggregates

96%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Oak Harbor, WA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Island CountyCentral county8885,657

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Oak HarborPrincipal city24,362

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Washington

Areas based in Washington, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA82

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M36020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Oak Harbor, WA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Oak Harbor, WA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Washington

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined3

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards