Surfside Beach, SC

Census Place

Add Comparison

2021 Population

4,155

7.05% 1-year decline

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2021 Median Age

51.5

4.1% 1-year decrease

2021 Poverty Rate

8.59%

2.52% 1-year decrease

2021 Median Household Income

$61,840

5.11% 1-year growth

2021 Median Property Value

$306,400

10.7% 1-year growth

About

In 2021, Surfside Beach, SC had a population of 4.16k people with a median age of 51.5 and a median household income of $61,840. Between 2020 and 2021 the population of Surfside Beach, SC declined from 4,470 to 4,155, a −7.05% decrease and its median household income grew from $58,832 to $61,840, a 5.11% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Surfside Beach, SC are White (Non-Hispanic) (93.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.66%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (1.2%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (0.722%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (0.337%).

None of the households in Surfside Beach, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.4% of the residents in Surfside Beach, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2021, the median property value in Surfside Beach, SC was $306,400, and the homeownership rate was 61.2%.

Most people in Surfside Beach, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19 minutes. The average car ownership in Surfside Beach, SC was 2 cars per household.

United States South Carolina Horry County, SC Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach Cities & Socastee (East) PUMA, SC

Population & Diversity

Surfside Beach, SC is home to a population of 4.16k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2021, 1.93% of Surfside Beach, SC residents were born outside of the country (80 people).

In 2021, there were 25.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.9k people) in Surfside Beach, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 152 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 50 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

99.4%

2021 Citizenship

99.4%

2020 Citizenship

As of 2021, 99.4% of Surfside Beach, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2020, the percentage of US citizens in Surfside Beach, SC was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
3.9k ± 107
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
152 ± 86
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
50 ± 56

0.481%

Hispanic Population

20 people

0.481% of the people in Surfside Beach, SC are hispanic (20 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Surfside Beach, SC as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

1.93%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

80 people

2.06%

2020 Foreign-Born Population

92 people

As of 2021, 1.93% of Surfside Beach, SC residents (80 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2020, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Surfside Beach, SC was 2.06%, 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
205 ± 75
Gulf War (1990s)
114 ± 68
Gulf War (2001-)
93 ± 71

Surfside Beach, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.8 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Surfside Beach, SC employs 1.66k people. The largest industries in Surfside Beach, SC are Accommodation & Food Services (295 people), Retail Trade (185 people), and Educational Services (175 people), and the highest paying industries are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($153,393), Transportation & Warehousing ($153,393), and Educational Services ($63,125).

Employment

Occupations

1.66k

2021 Value

± 260

−6.6%

1 Year decline

± 23.6%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Surfside Beach, SC declined at a rate of −6.6%, from 1.77k employees to 1.66k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Surfside Beach, SC, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (220 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (167 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (160 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 false.

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.

View Full Dashboard

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.66k

2021 Value

± 260

−6.6%

1 Year decline

± 23.6%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Surfside Beach, SC declined at a rate of −6.6%, from 1.77k employees to 1.66k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Surfside Beach, SC, are Accommodation & Food Services (295 people), Retail Trade (185 people), and Educational Services (175 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

$37,195

Median earning men ± $4,126

$37,241

Median earning women ± $4,489

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2021 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($154,286), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,150), and Manufacturing ($46,338).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2021 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($63,338), Other Services Except Public Administration ($52,946), and Public Administration ($45,156).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.75%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 155M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.75% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

View Full Dashboard

Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from South Carolina to other states, or from other states to South Carolina.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

In 2020, the top outbound South Carolina product (by dollars) was Motorized vehicles with $39.9B, followed by Plastics/rubber ($29.5B) and Machinery ($26.9B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound South Carolina products.

Domestic Trade Growth

Showing data for South Carolina.

$273B

2020 Value in South Carolina

$613B

Projected 2050 Value in South Carolina

124% growth

In 2020, total outbound South Carolina trade was $273B. This is expected to increase 124% to $613B by 2050.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound South Carolina trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from South Carolina to other states, or from other states to South Carolina.

Most Common Trade Partners

North Carolina
$28.9B
Georgia
$21.4B
Texas
$10.9B

In 2020, the top outbound South Carolina domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was North Carolina with $28.9B, followed by Georgia with $21.4B and Texas and $10.9B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that South Carolina shares with each state (excluding itself).

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in South Carolina went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (43.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.11%).

Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott are the senators currently representing the state of South Carolina. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

South Carolina is currently represented by 7 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Surfside Beach, SC. Showing the available data for South Carolina.

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.1%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (43.4%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (1.11%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in South Carolina went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (43.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.11%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in South Carolina for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from South Carolina

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Lindsey Graham

Senator from South Carolina

Assumed office on January 3, 2003

Tim Scott

Senator from South Carolina

Assumed office on January 2, 2013
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Jim DeMint.

Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott are the senators currently representing South Carolina.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in South Carolina over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from South Carolina

South Carolina is currently represented by 7 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for South Carolina have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2021, 0.829% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.722% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2021 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (890k), and Bachelors Degree (688k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Surfside Beach, SC was $306,400 in 2021, which is 1.25 times larger than the national average of $244,900. Between 2020 and 2021 the median property value increased from $276,800 to $306,400, a 10.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Surfside Beach, SC is 61.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.6%.

People in Surfside Beach, SC have an average commute time of 19 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.

Median household income in Surfside Beach, SC is $61,840. In 2021, the place with the highest median household income in Surfside Beach, SC was Census Tract 512.01 with a value of $75,457, followed by Census Tract 512.02 and Census Tract 514.04, with respective values of $57,439 and $55,884.

Property

$306,400

Median Property Value 2021

±$30,394

$1,102

Median Property Taxes

±$175

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 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

61.2%

Homeownership

2021

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2021

In 2021, 61.2% of the housing units in Surfside Beach, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 66%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 512.01
Census Tract 512.02
Census Tract 514.04

In 2021, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Surfside Beach, SC was Census Tract 512.01 with a value of $75,457, followed by Census Tract 512.02 and Census Tract 514.04, with respective values of $57,439 and $55,884.

The following map shows all of the places in Surfside Beach, SC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$61,840

Median Household Income

± $5,908

1.8k

Number of Households

± 236

In 2021, the median household income of the 1.8k households in Surfside Beach, SC grew to $61,840 from the previous year's value of $58,832.

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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Surfside Beach, SC is from South Carolina.

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.462

2020 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2021, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.122% growth from 2020 to 2021, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2021

Drove Alone (77.4%)
Carpooled (8.81%)
Worked At Home (8.45%)

In 2021, 77.4% of workers in Surfside Beach, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.81%) and those who worked at home (8.45%).

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 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Surfside Beach, SC have a shorter commute time (19 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.8 minutes). Additionally, 1.19% 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

8.59% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Surfside Beach, SC (357 out of 4.16k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.6%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males < 5, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 65 - 74.

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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

87.4% of the population of Surfside Beach, SC has health coverage, with 28.3% on employee plans, 8.87% on Medicaid, 21.3% on Medicare, 25% on non-group plans, and 3.86% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Horry County, SC see 1678 patients per year on average, which represents a 1% decrease from the previous year (1695 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2420 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 636 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Horry County, SC.

1,678 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Horry County, SC

Primary care physicians in Horry County, SC see an average of 1,678 patients per year. This represents a 1% decrease from the previous year (1,695 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Horry County, SC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2021, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 12.6% under 18 years, 14.7% between 18 and 34 years, 46.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 26.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.8% were men and 48.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

12.6%

Uninsured

28.3%

Employer Coverage

8.87%

Medicaid

21.3%

Medicare

25%

Non-Group

3.86%

Military or VA

Between 2020 and 2021, the percent of uninsured citizens in Surfside Beach, SC grew by 10.3% from 11.5% to 12.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Surfside Beach, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.