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 4,321 people and two associated 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.Surfside Beach is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Surfside Beach is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Surfside Beach who work in management occupations (13.75%), sales jobs (12.77%), and maintenance occupations (9.08%). 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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 13.54% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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. As is often the case in a small town, Surfside Beach doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.Surfside Beach is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 40.37% of adults in Surfside Beach have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Surfside Beach in 2022 was $43,610, 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 $174,440 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 European. The most common language spoken in Surfside Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.
