Ocean City is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Maryland. With a population of 6,915 people and four associated neighborhoods, Ocean City is the 99th largest community in Maryland. Housing costs in Ocean City are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Maryland.Ocean City is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 88.35% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Ocean City is a town of managers, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Ocean City who work in management occupations (15.71%), food service (15.06%), and sales jobs (10.92%). Also of interest is that Ocean City has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 16.89% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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 City is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Ocean City’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live. Ocean City 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. The education level of Ocean City ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Ocean City, 40.44% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree. The per capita income in Ocean City in 2022 was $67,517, which is wealthy relative to Maryland and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $270,068 for a family of four. However, Ocean City contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Ocean City is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Ocean City home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ocean City residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Ocean City include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Ocean City is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Greek.
