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 4,368 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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 13.54% 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Being a small town, Surfside Beach does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

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.