What is the rental vacancy rate in Surfside Beach, SC?

Name: Vacancy rate in Surfside Beach, SC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The rental vacancy rate in Surfside Beach, SC is 34.9% (±10.3 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 4.5% (±4.8 points).

2,220 (±204) homes, 52.2% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In Surfside Beach, the rental vacancy rate went from 39.2% in 2015–2019 to 34.9% in 2020–2024 (−4.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 34.9% (±10.3 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 4.5% (±4.8 points)
Vacant homes: 2,220 (±204)

Vacancy in Surfside Beach against Horry County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Surfside Beach	Horry County	South Carolina	United States
Rental vacancy rate	34.9% (±10.3 points)	19.2% (±1.7 points)	8.3% (±0.3 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	4.5% (±4.8 points)	1.2% (±0.3 points)	0.9% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	2,220 (±204)	58,640 (±1,607)	325,050 (±5,753)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In Surfside Beach, the rental vacancy rate is higher than in Horry County (19.2%).

It is also higher than in South Carolina (8.3%).

It is higher than the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near Surfside Beach

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Surfside Beach
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
Surfside Beach	—	34.9% (±10.3 points)	—
Garden City	2.1 mi	11.9% (±7.6 points)	Lower
Socastee	5.7 mi	2.1% (±2.5 points)	Lower
Murrells Inlet	5.8 mi	0.0% (±6.7 points)	Lower
Forestbrook	7.9 mi	12.2% (±12.9 points)	Lower
Myrtle Beach	8.7 mi	17.4% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Carolina Forest	11 mi	10.3% (±5.4 points)	Lower
Red Hill	12 mi	10.8% (±7.8 points)	Lower
Litchfield Beach	12 mi	0.7% (±1.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Garden City, SC (11.9%), Socastee, SC (2.1%), Murrells Inlet, SC (0.0%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Rental vacancy rate across Horry County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
1	North Myrtle Beach	65.5% (±5.9 points)
2	Surfside Beach	34.9% (±10.3 points)
3	Atlantic Beach	29.4% (±15.2 points)
4	Myrtle Beach	17.4% (±2.9 points)
5	Forestbrook	12.2% (±12.9 points)
6	Garden City	11.9% (±7.6 points)
7	Red Hill	10.8% (±7.8 points)
8	Carolina Forest	10.3% (±5.4 points)

Showing 8 of 15 places in Horry County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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 Surfside Beach

Is it hard to find a rental in Surfside Beach?

The rental vacancy rate in Surfside Beach, SC is 34.9% (±10.3 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in Surfside Beach tighter than it was?

In Surfside Beach, the rental vacancy rate went from 39.2% in 2015–2019 to 34.9% in 2020–2024 (−4.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in Surfside Beach?

An estimated 2,220 (±204) housing units, 52.2% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

Sources

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 Surfside Beach town, South Carolina (place:70585, in state:45).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

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.