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.

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 an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

One of the nice things about Surfside Beach is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy 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 citizens of Surfside Beach are among the most well-educated in the nation: 40.37% of adults in Surfside Beach have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

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.