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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Surfside Beach, SC
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Surfside Beach profile


Living in Surfside Beach



Surfside Beach is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 4,280 people and two constituent neighborhoods, Surfside Beach is the 86th largest community in South Carolina.

Surfside Beach real estate is some of the most expensive in South Carolina, although Surfside Beach house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Of important note, Surfside Beach is also a town of artists. Surfside Beach has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Surfside Beach’s character.

Also of interest is that Surfside Beach has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 8.45% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Surfside Beach is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Surfside Beach’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

Surfside Beach is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Surfside Beach is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

The education level of Surfside Beach citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 38.19% of adults in Surfside Beach have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Surfside Beach in 2018 was $35,510, which is wealthy relative to South Carolina, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $142,040 for a family of four. However, Surfside Beach contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Surfside Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Surfside Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Surfside Beach include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Surfside Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.


Real Estate in Popular Surfside Beach Neighborhoods

Zip Codes in Surfside Beach, SC