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CITY

Sunset Beach

North Carolina · 4,642 residents (2025 est.) · 6.97 sq mi
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The short version

With 4,351 people, Sunset Beach is a city in North Carolina. The median age is 69.1, about 30 years above the US median. The population has more than doubled since 2000, adding 2,527 people. 86% of homes are owner-occupied. Renters pay $537 a month at the median. The foreign-born share is 3%.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 69.1
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 29%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
4,351
+139%since 2000
from 1,824 in 2000
4,642 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
624 / sq mi
+70%since 2009
from 367 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
69.1
+15%since 2000
from 60.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
6.97 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
01K2K4K5K19902000201020202024Sunset Beach
20244K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 51%(45)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 90.8%(35)
US avg: 6%
10 to 140.5%(20)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 191.3%(58)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 241%(43)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 342.6%(111)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 446.7%(290)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 546.4%(280)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6420%(870)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7426.8%(1,168)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 8431.1%(1,354)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(77)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$81,976
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,356 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$57,169
+58%since 2000
from $36,181 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
53.5%
+14.0 ptssince 2009
from 39.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
5.7%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.451
+7%since 2010
from 0.421 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information19.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services7.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance3%
US avg: 5.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Retail trade2.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Transportation & warehousing0.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$410,900
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $174,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$537
−64%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $829 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
86.4%
−3.9 ptssince 2000
from 90.3% in 2000
13.6% rent
Vacancy rate
54.5%
−13.8 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
1.83 people
−11%since 2009
from 2.05 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 23.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
17.0%
−23.9 ptssince 2009
from 40.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.0
−6%since 2009
from 5.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
23
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.4%(1,758)
Black0.5%(9)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(25)
Asian0.4%(7)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic94.2%(4,098)
Black2%(85)
Hispanic / Latino1.5%(67)
Asian0.2%(7)
Other2.2%(94)
Diversity Score
14
+48%since 2009
from 9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Spaniard0.3%(14)
Puerto Rican0.2%(10)
Asian origin
Filipino0.2%(7)
Ancestry
Irish19.4%(845)
English19.1%(833)
German14%(609)
Italian10.6%(461)
Scottish10.6%(460)
American8%(350)
French4.1%(180)
Polish4.1%(179)
Scotch-Irish3.1%(136)
British1.6%(69)
Hungarian1%(45)
+ 17 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch1%(42)
Norwegian0.9%(38)
Swedish0.9%(38)
Brazilian0.7%(30)
Welsh0.7%(30)
Lithuanian0.6%(28)
Slovak0.6%(26)
Armenian0.3%(14)
Danish0.3%(13)
Canadian0.2%(10)
Finnish0.2%(10)
Swiss0.2%(9)
Austrian0.2%(7)
Croatian0.1%(6)
Australian0.1%(5)
Greek0.1%(5)
Russian0.1%(5)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.0%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 35.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
98.3%
+6.8 ptssince 2000
from 91.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.3%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 12.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+30%since 2000
from 15.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
73.3%
−10.5 ptssince 2009
from 83.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
2.1%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
22.2%
+13.9 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
1.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
0.7%
−5.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
32.9%
−4.9 ptssince 2011
from 37.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
63.3%
+5.9 ptssince 2020
from 57.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.5%
+9.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
40.9%
+14.3 ptssince 2009
from 26.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
40.5%
−6.6 ptssince 2009
from 47.0% in 2009
Female
59.5%
+6.6 ptssince 2009
from 53.0% in 2009
Foreign born
2.9%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.4%
−18.6 ptssince 2009
from 27.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
18.0%
+7.3 ptssince 2012
from 10.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.6%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 5.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.6%
+7.4 ptssince 2017
from 88.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 96.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
93.4%
+10.1 ptssince 2020
from 83.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 98.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 1.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married6.7%(115)
Married85%(1,467)
Widowed4.4%(76)
Divorced3.9%(68)
Women 15+
Never married7%(178)
Married59.1%(1,493)
Widowed23.6%(596)
Divorced10.2%(258)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
1.6%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 5.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
45.3%
−3.5 ptssince 2020
from 48.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
40.9%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 36.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
61.0%
+13.0 ptssince 2020
from 48.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
8.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 7.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 3.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
80.1%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
65.6%
+12.4 ptssince 2020
from 53.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)2.8%(10)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)8.8%(31)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era58.4%(206)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.3%(8)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 353 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Sunset Beach to nearby cities

SUNSET BEACH VS
Little River
Income$65,786−20%
Home value$305,800−26%
Population11,771+154%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUNSET BEACH VS
North Myrtle Beach
Income$72,722−11%
Home value$416,900+1%
Population21,346+360%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUNSET BEACH VS
Oak Island
Income$85,872+5%
Home value$456,500+11%
Population9,337+101%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUNSET BEACH VS
Carolina Forest
Income$74,436−9%
Home value$336,800−18%
Population26,263+466%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Sunset Beach, North Carolina?

Sunset Beach, North Carolina has about 4,351 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Sunset Beach, North Carolina?

The typical household in Sunset Beach, North Carolina earns about $81,976 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Sunset Beach, North Carolina expensive?

In Sunset Beach, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $410,900, and the typical rent is about $537 a month.

How educated are people in Sunset Beach, North Carolina?

About 40.0% of adults age 25 and over in Sunset Beach, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Sunset Beach, North Carolina?

About 5.7% of people in Sunset Beach, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Sunset Beach, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Sunset Beach, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,030 residents, a change of about 1255 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →