Surf City, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

4,396

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.9

7.29% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

5.51%

12.8% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$81,433

4.01% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$512,300

Population & Diversity

Surf City, NC is home to a population of 4.4k people, from which 99% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.78% of Surf City, NC residents were born outside of the country (122 people).

In 2024, there were 20.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.82k people) in Surf City, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 187 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 162 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Surf City, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Surf City, NC was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Surf City, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.82k ± 247
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
187 ± 109
White (Hispanic)
162 ± 170

5.6%

Hispanic Population

246 people

5.6% of the people in Surf City, NC are hispanic (246 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Surf City, 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

2.78%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

122 people

3.41%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

142 people

As of 2024, 2.78% of Surf City, NC residents (122 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 Surf City, NC was 3.41%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
136 ± 91
Vietnam
114 ± 67
Gulf War (1990s)
29 ± 38

Surf City, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.19 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Surf City, NC.

Economy

The economy of Surf City, NC employs 2.13k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Surf City, NC were Educational Services (308 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (281 people), and Retail Trade (253 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($144,167), Information ($138,920), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($118,598).

Employment

Occupations

2.13k

2024 Value

± 362

12.5%

1 Year growth

± 22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surf City, NC grew at a rate of 12.5%, from 1.89k employees to 2.13k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Surf City, NC, are Management Occupations (297 people), Sales & Related Occupations (219 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (181 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Surf City, 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

2.13k

2024 Value

± 362

12.5%

1 Year growth

± 22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surf City, NC grew at a rate of 12.5%, from 1.89k employees to 2.13k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Surf City, NC, are Educational Services (308 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (281 people), and Retail Trade (253 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Surf City, NC, though some of these residents may live in Surf City, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,246

Median earning men ± $31,838

$43,717

Median earning women ± $4,831

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($208,125), Manufacturing ($126,181), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($112,042).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($105,708), Manufacturing ($75,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,577).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Surf City, NC was $512,300 in 2024, which is 1.54 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $478,600 to $512,300, a 7.04% increase. The homeownership rate in Surf City, NC is 73.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Surf City, NC have an average commute time of 23.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Surf City, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$512,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$56,566

$1,319

Median Property Taxes

±$201

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 Surf City, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

73.9%

Homeownership

2024

63.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.9% of the housing units in Surf City, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Surf City, 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.

$81,433

Median Household Income

± $12,692

1.78k

Number of Households

± 277

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.78k households in Surf City, NC declined from $81,433 from the previous year's value of $84,833.

The following chart displays the households in Surf City, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Surf City, 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 (65.7%)
Worked At Home (26.6%)
Carpooled (5.74%)

In 2024, 65.7% of workers in Surf City, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (26.6%) and those who carpooled to work (5.74%).

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

23.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Surf City, NC have a shorter commute time (23.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.601% of the workforce in Surf City, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.51% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Surf City, NC (241 out of 4.37k 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 65 - 74 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Surf City, NC is White, followed by Black and Native American.

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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