Surfside Beach, SC

Census Place

2024 Population

4,270

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

55.5

0.181% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.8%

71.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$70,106

5.52% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$450,100

Population & Diversity

Surfside Beach, SC is home to a population of 4.27k people, from which 99.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.19% of Surfside Beach, SC residents were born outside of the country (51 people).

In 2024, there were 26.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.94k people) in Surfside Beach, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 149 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 64 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Surfside Beach, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Surfside Beach, SC was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Surfside Beach, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.94k ± 125
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
149 ± 77
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
64 ± 66

0.562%

Hispanic Population

24 people

0.562% of the people in Surfside Beach, SC are hispanic (24 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Surfside Beach, SC 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 South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
65,146 ± 6,228 people
India
21,511 ± 3,594 people
Colombia
15,785 ± 3,080 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 65,146 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 21,511 and Colombia with 15,785.

Foreign-Born Population

1.19%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

51 people

1.59%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

67 people

As of 2024, 1.19% of Surfside Beach, SC residents (51 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 Surfside Beach, SC was 1.59%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
109 ± 42
Gulf War (1990s)
97 ± 53
Gulf War (2001-)
44 ± 52

Surfside Beach, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Surfside Beach, SC.

Economy

The economy of Surfside Beach, SC employs 1.66k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Surfside Beach, SC were Accommodation & Food Services (276 people), Retail Trade (207 people), and Manufacturing (164 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($142,574), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($75,568), and Educational Services ($74,779).

Employment

Occupations

1.66k

2024 Value

± 255

−10%

1 Year decline

± 23.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surfside Beach, SC declined at a rate of −10%, from 1.84k employees to 1.66k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Surfside Beach, SC, are Management Occupations (240 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (191 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (182 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Surfside Beach, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South 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

1.66k

2024 Value

± 255

−10%

1 Year decline

± 23.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surfside Beach, SC declined at a rate of −10%, from 1.84k employees to 1.66k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Surfside Beach, SC, are Accommodation & Food Services (276 people), Retail Trade (207 people), and Manufacturing (164 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Surfside Beach, SC, though some of these residents may live in Surfside Beach, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,294

Median earning men ± $5,757

$39,232

Median earning women ± $5,412

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($143,162), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($71,016), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,938).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($73,659), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($48,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,000).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Surfside Beach, SC was $450,100 in 2024, which is 1.35 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $412,100 to $450,100, a 9.22% increase. The homeownership rate in Surfside Beach, SC is 67.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Surfside Beach, SC have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Surfside Beach, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$450,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$24,921

$1,372

Median Property Taxes

±$200

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 Surfside Beach, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

67.5%

Homeownership

2024

68.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.5% of the housing units in Surfside Beach, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 65%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Surfside Beach, SC 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.

$70,106

Median Household Income

± $7,736

2.03k

Number of Households

± 256

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.03k households in Surfside Beach, SC declined from $70,106 from the previous year's value of $74,202.

The following chart displays the households in Surfside Beach, SC 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 Surfside Beach, SC is from South Carolina.

0.462

2024 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.464

2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.296% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.1%)
Worked At Home (12.7%)
Carpooled (7.72%)

In 2024, 71.1% of workers in Surfside Beach, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.7%) and those who carpooled to work (7.72%).

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

20.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Surfside Beach, SC have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.33% of the workforce in Surfside Beach, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Surfside Beach, SC (714 out of 4.26k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males < 5 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

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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