Living in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.4% below the U.S. average in the parts of Massachusetts outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood16 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 8.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byMartha's Vineyard Hospital INC is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityProvidence is about 51 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Oak Bluffs meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 56% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $923,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 31%Dukes County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $145,196U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $4,845 a yearMassachusetts: $5,992
Homes built before 1940: 29%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 56%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 98.6U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Massachusetts outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 31% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Massachusetts outside metro areas, not Oak Bluffs alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 5,4282020: 5,338
Median age: 43.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 21%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (25%); schools, health care and social services (22%)
Average commute: 13 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 9%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 2%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Martha's Vineyard Hospital INC, Oak Bluffs, MA, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Falmouth Hospital, Falmouth, MA, about 8 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Oak Bluffs, run by Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Massachusetts's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 86%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 93%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 26°F
July average high: 80°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 95 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.7 inches a year
Snow: 25 inches a year
Elevation: 13 feet

Weather station: Edgartown (5 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Barnstable, MACity of 50,00017

Providence, RIMetro of 1.7 million51

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Barnstable, Providence.

Dukes County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Wesleyan Grove, Flying Horses and Martha's Vineyard Campground. Two are National Historic Landmarks, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park22 miles
Cape Cod National Seashore31 miles
Roger Williams National Memorial51 miles
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park52 miles
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area58 miles

Read about Oak Bluffs's history on Wikipedia.

Know Oak Bluffs?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Tisbury, MA4,900 people, 3 miles
West Tisbury, MA3,600 people, 7 miles
Edgartown, MA5,400 people, 7 miles
Mashpee, MA15,500 people, 12 miles
Chilmark, MA1,300 people, 16 miles
Barnstable, MA50,000 people, 17 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.