Housing data for Sunset Beach, NC
Sunset Beach, NC has an estimated 4,351 residents and 5,238 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Brunswick County.
13.6% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $537 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+11.5%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 4,351 (±30)
- Housing units
- 5,238 (±313)
- Households that rent
- 13.6%
- Median gross rent
- $537
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +11.5%
What stands out in Sunset Beach
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 23.3% (±6.2 points) in Sunset Beach, higher than in Brunswick County (7.1%).
Rental vacancy rate: 67.0% (±15.7 points) in Sunset Beach, higher than in Brunswick County (27.9%).
Median gross rent: $537 (±$342) in Sunset Beach, lower than in Brunswick County ($1,351).
Homes built before 1980: 9.0% (±4.3 points) in Sunset Beach, lower than in Brunswick County (13.7%).
Housing in Sunset Beach at a glance
- Median rent: $537 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $524 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 21.9% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 13.6% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $81,976 median household income
- Home values: $410,900 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,474 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,167 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 23.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 74.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 9.0% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 67.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 92.1% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 19.5 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 43 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +11.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Sunset Beach against Brunswick County, its state and the nation
| Sunset Beach | Brunswick County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 4,351 (±30) | 152,568 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 5,238 (±313) | 99,077 (±98) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 13.6% (±9.1 points) | 15.4% (±1.2 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $537 (±$342) | $1,351 (±$52) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $81,976 (±$14,932) | $77,024 (±$2,734) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $410,900 (±$40,087) | $349,800 (±$6,851) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,167 (±$289) | $1,890 (±$42) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 9.0% (±4.3 points) | 13.7% (±0.9 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 19.5 minutes (±3.6) | 25.7 minutes (±0.8) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.6% (±2.7 points) | 93.3% (±1.0 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 69.1 years (±2.2) | 56.4 years (±0.3) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Sunset Beach covers 6.8 square miles of land, about 644 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Sunset Beach has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,901 (±21) | 4,351 (±30) | +11.5% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 5,318 (±255) | 5,238 (±313) | −1.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,232 (±$124) | $537 (±$342) | −56.4% | Down after inflation |
| Median home value | $267,900 (±$18,426) | $410,900 (±$40,087) | +53.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $57,265 (±$4,203) | $81,976 (±$14,932) | +43.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,541 (±$175) | $1,474 (±$284) | −4.3% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,688 (±$116) | $2,167 (±$289) | +28.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 14.4% (±4.5 points) | 13.6% (±9.1 points) | −0.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 50.7% (±12.6 points) | 67.0% (±15.7 points) | +16.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Sunset Beach
In 2025, the Sunset Beach Police Department reported 43 violent and 1,343 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Brunswick County, the departments that report recorded 199 violent and 1,120 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Sunset Beach
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28468 | 35% | 5,154 | $1,300 | $412,000 | $83,358 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Sunset Beach
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calabash | 2.4 mi | $1,360 | $253,200 | 30.3% |
| Ocean Isle Beach | 2.6 mi | — | $835,500 | 3.5% |
| Carolina Shores | 3.9 mi | $1,973 | $288,600 | 5.3% |
| Little River | 7.7 mi | $1,528 | $305,800 | 23.4% |
| Shallotte | 9.4 mi | $1,256 | $349,500 | 36.3% |
| Holden Beach | 11 mi | $1,475 | $658,900 | 5.4% |
| North Myrtle Beach | 12 mi | $1,263 | $416,900 | 17.8% |
| Atlantic Beach | 14 mi | $1,083 | $385,000 | 76.7% |
Places in North Carolina most like Sunset Beach
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nags Head | $1,005 | $490,800 | $91,264 | 17.2% |
| Conover | $898 | $271,300 | $65,972 | 31.0% |
| Hudson | $549 | $223,000 | $65,268 | 19.0% |
| Banner Elk | $849 | $458,100 | $86,382 | 31.1% |
| White Lake | $893 | $235,300 | $84,375 | 25.8% |
| Foscoe | $928 | $325,800 | $49,243 | 26.6% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across North Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Sunset Beach, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,388 | $1,446 | $1,574 | $2,062 | $2,407 |
HUD income limits for Sunset Beach, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,850 | $34,750 | $55,550 |
| 2 people | $23,800 | $39,700 | $63,500 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $44,650 | $71,450 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $49,600 | $79,350 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $53,600 | $85,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $57,550 | $92,050 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $61,550 | $98,400 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $65,500 | $104,750 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $99,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Sunset Beach
How much is a two-bedroom apartment in Sunset Beach?
The median gross rent for a two-bedroom home in Sunset Beach, NC is $524 (±$21) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Sunset Beach?
The median household income in Sunset Beach is $81,976 (±$14,932) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Sunset Beach, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $410,900 (±$40,087) for owner-occupied homes in Sunset Beach (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Sunset Beach?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Sunset Beach, NC is $1,474 (±$284) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Sunset Beach?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Sunset Beach, NC is $2,167 (±$289) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Sunset Beach?
Sunset Beach, NC has an estimated 5,238 (±313) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Sunset Beach growing?
In Sunset Beach, the number of residents went from 3,901 in 2015–2019 to 4,351 in 2020–2024 (+11.5%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Sunset Beach?
The ZIP code that covers Sunset Beach is 28468.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 28468?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28468 is $1,300 (±$149) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Sunset Beach town, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Sunset Beach Police Department (ORI NC0100700)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Sunset Beach town, North Carolina (place:65900, in state:37).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .