Sunset Beach, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

4,351

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

69.1

1.17% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.75%

4.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$81,976

3.48% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$410,900

Population & Diversity

Sunset Beach, NC is home to a population of 4.35k people, from which 100% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.92% of Sunset Beach, NC residents were born outside of the country (127 people).

In 2024, there were 48.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.1k people) in Sunset Beach, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 85 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 43 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Sunset Beach, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sunset Beach, NC was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Sunset Beach, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sunset Beach, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.1k ± 122
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
85 ± 75
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
43 ± 49

1.54%

Hispanic Population

67 people

1.54% of the people in Sunset Beach, NC are hispanic (67 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Sunset Beach, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

2.92%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

127 people

3.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

147 people

As of 2024, 2.92% of Sunset Beach, NC residents (127 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Sunset Beach, NC was 3.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Sunset Beach, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
180 ± 58
Gulf War (1990s)
21 ± 20
Gulf War (2001-)
10 ± 25

Sunset Beach, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 8.57 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Sunset Beach, NC.

Economy

The economy of Sunset Beach, NC employs 1.39k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sunset Beach, NC were Retail Trade (264 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (192 people), and Public Administration (177 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services ($156,250), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($116,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($92,266).

Employment

Occupations

1.39k

2024 Value

± 338

−6.29%

1 Year decline

± 37.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sunset Beach, NC declined at a rate of −6.29%, from 1.48k employees to 1.39k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sunset Beach, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (290 people), Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (181 people), and Management Occupations (165 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sunset Beach, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.39k

2024 Value

± 338

−6.29%

1 Year decline

± 37.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sunset Beach, NC declined at a rate of −6.29%, from 1.48k employees to 1.39k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sunset Beach, NC, are Retail Trade (264 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (192 people), and Public Administration (177 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sunset Beach, NC, though some of these residents may live in Sunset Beach, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,143

Median earning men ± $6,543

$42,783

Median earning women ± $6,707

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($104,911), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($99,886), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($71,563).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Retail Trade ($43,393), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($41,667), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($26,591).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sunset Beach, NC was $410,900 in 2024, which is 1.24 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $354,300 to $410,900, a 16% increase. The homeownership rate in Sunset Beach, NC is 86.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sunset Beach, NC have an average commute time of 19.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sunset Beach, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$410,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$40,087

$2,057

Median Property Taxes

±$359

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Sunset Beach, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Sunset Beach, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

86.4%

Homeownership

2024

60.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 86.4% of the housing units in Sunset Beach, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 87.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sunset Beach, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$81,976

Median Household Income

± $14,932

2.38k

Number of Households

± 418

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.38k households in Sunset Beach, NC declined from $81,976 from the previous year's value of $84,934.

The following chart displays the households in Sunset Beach, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sunset Beach, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.3%)
Worked At Home (22.2%)
Walked (2.32%)

In 2024, 73.3% of workers in Sunset Beach, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (22.2%) and those who walked to work (2.32%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

19.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sunset Beach, NC have a shorter commute time (19.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.673% of the workforce in Sunset Beach, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Sunset Beach, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Sunset Beach, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Sunset Beach, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.75% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sunset Beach, NC (250 out of 4.35k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Sunset Beach, NC is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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