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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-SUNSET-BEACH-NC · Sunset Beach, NC 4,326 pop · income 66th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Sunset Beach
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Sunset Beach on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Spindale · lowest
38,509
Spindale · lowest
38,509 median HH income
25.7% of the leader · rank #1
Arlington · near
84,919
Arlington · near
84,919 median HH income
56.7% of the leader · rank #2
West Des Moin… · near
84,925
West Des Moin… · near
84,925 median HH income
56.7% of the leader · rank #3
Sunset Beach · this city
84,934
Sunset Beach · this city
84,934 median HH income
56.7% of the leader · rank #4
Shrewsbury · near
84,942
Shrewsbury · near
84,942 median HH income
56.7% of the leader · rank #5
LaGrange · near
84,943
LaGrange · near
84,943 median HH income
56.7% of the leader · rank #6
Indian River… · highest
149,722
Indian River… · highest
149,722 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Sunset Beach on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 4,326.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Sunset Beach - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Sunset Beach places in the 66th percentile for household income and the 61st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
66th
percentile, household income
72nd
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
61st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Sunset Beach, NC
North Carolina's Sunset Beach is a small town, with 4,326 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Sunset Beach households earn a median of $84,934 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 3.5%. Home values in Sunset Beach run a median of $354,300, and the median resident age is 68.3 years. Educational attainment runs 39.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 34.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 251 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 71% from five years earlier. Sunset Beach reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1073.0 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,161 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Sunset Beach's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to population change to reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Sunset Beach, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Sunset Beach?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are North Wilkesboro (4,348 residents, $39,288 income); Spindale (4,244 residents, $38,509 income); Canton (4,417 residents, $64,034 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Mount Hermon, VA (4,326 residents); Kimberly, AL (4,327 residents); Middleville, MI (4,327 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Is Sunset Beach growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +489 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +11.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 251 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Sunset Beach?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1073.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 53% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
How far does income reach against housing in Sunset Beach?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Sunset Beach?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
19.7%
Drive alone
77.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,423 workers age 16+.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
B-
City profile score · Sunset Beach, NC
69/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate B+
3.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B+
39.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B-
107 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income C+
$84,934
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Sunset Beach profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 75/100 (B+) · 3.5%
Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 39.7%
Violent crime: 69/100 (B-) · 107 /100k
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Household income: 64/100 (C+) · $84,934
Where Sunset Beach sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Sunset Beach's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Sunset Beach highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Sunset Beach, NC (this city): home $354,300, crime 1,073/100k
Kimberly, AL : home $286,900, crime 464/100k
North Wilkesboro, NC : home $231,400, crime 2,313/100k
Canton, NC : home $226,400, crime 2,038/100k
Newport, NC : home $245,300, crime 1,742/100k
Franklin, NC : home $190,600, crime 3,153/100k
Mount Olive, NC : home $117,200, crime 3,248/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Sunset Beach compare to other US cities?
Sunset Beach measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income66% higher than other cities
Home value72% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety61% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just North Carolina and the picture shifts: Sunset Beach ranks #20 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Sunset Beach against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Sunset Beach near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Sunset Beach ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Sunset Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#129 of 700
82nd percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#110 of 708
84th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#562 of 746
24th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#151 of 746
80th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
66th percentile nationally for median household income · 61st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Sunset Beach's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Sunset Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Sunset Beach's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$354,30028th percentilemore affordable than 28% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Sunset Beach's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,173 of 15,516
More affordable than 28% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#8,673 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.2×, Sunset Beach sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,173 of 15,516 and #8,673 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$84,934Sunset Beach, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Sunset Beach, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Sunset Beach, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)39.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)34.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
4,326
Median Income
$84,934
Median Home Value
$354,300
Median Age
68.3
Poverty Rate
3.5%
Labor force participation
34.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
39.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1073.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
107.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
965.7
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Sunset Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
4,153 residents
2021
4,221 residents
2022
4,335 residents
2023
4,485 residents
2024
4,505 residents
2025
4,642 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
251
housing units authorized
Single-Family
143
detached homes
Multifamily
108
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
58
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
147
75
72
$20.4M
2020
65
65
0
$12.1M
2021
153
153
0
$31.3M
2022
233
233
0
$56.6M
2023
167
167
0
$43.3M
2024
251
143
108
$62.0M
Permit volume increased 71% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
77.5%
Carpool
1.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.1%
Work from Home
19.7%
Based on 1,423 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Sunset Beach. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Sunset Beach is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Sunset Beach sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Sunset Beach compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.