City Score: Surfside Beach, SC

One number for Surfside Beach, SC: the condition of the city from public data and how the church is moving, updated weekly, every indicator footnoted to its source. Back to Surfside Beach, SC. Part of the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC area. In South Carolina.

The score

Surfside Beach, SC scores 39 out of 100 on the Joy Project City Score. Condition 39 (the city from public data, 60%) and Movement (how the church is moving, 40%). How the score is built.

This is the Conway-Myrtle Beach area's score, the pulse people in Surfside Beach, SC see (the city sits in that metro area). Surfside Beach, SC city proper: 51 (Condition 51 · Movement —); the quarterly release ranks cities by this number.

What's moving it

  • 9 prayer gatherings (Prayer, listed from church websites)
  • 45 ways to serve (Service, listed from church websites)
  • 46 gatherings (Gathering, listed from church websites)
  • 247 churches listed (Unity, listed from church websites)
  • 16 Bible studies (Discipleship, listed from church websites)

The condition of Surfside Beach, SC

  • What Surfside Beach is up against: 74 out of 100 — Better than 15% of metro areas, up 9 points
  • Where grace is growing: 39 out of 100 — Better than 34% of metro areas
  • Marriage & family: 26 out of 100 — Better than 18% of metro areas, up 2 points
  • Christian liberty: 65 out of 100 — Better than 71% of metro areas, down 3 points

What affected it

  • This quarter: Cohabiting households up 28 percentile points (Marriage & family)
  • This quarter: Divorces up 21 percentile points (Marriage & family)
  • This quarter: Violent crime up 14 percentile points (What Surfside Beach is up against)

Sources

  1. Violent crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  2. Property crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  3. Sexually transmitted infections: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  4. Drug overdose deaths: CDC NCHS, provisional county drug overdose deaths (VSRR) · 2025 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  5. Adult entertainment outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  6. Gambling outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  7. Cannabis outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  8. Liquor outlets and bars: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  9. Predatory lenders: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  10. Abortion facilities (mapped): OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  11. Church adherents: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  12. Congregations: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  13. Charitable giving: IRS Statistics of Income, county data · 2023 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  14. Given to local needs in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  15. Needs met in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  16. Volunteers mobilized in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  17. New believers in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  18. Children with married parents: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  19. Adults 25-44 married: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  20. Cohabiting households: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  21. Divorces: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  22. Marriages: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  23. Births to unmarried mothers: CDC WONDER · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  24. Religious Liberty in the States score: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  25. Safeguards fully in law: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  26. State Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  27. Anti-Christian hate crimes: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · South Carolina · fetched Oct 28, 2026

Every indicator

What Surfside Beach is up against — 74 out of 100

Where grace is growing — 39 out of 100

Marriage & family — 26 out of 100

Christian liberty — 65 out of 100

  • Religious Liberty in the States score: 62.9 % of the edition's safeguards in state law, better than 83% of metro areas, down 4 points · 2026, South Carolina · Religious Liberty in the States
  • Safeguards fully in law: 11 of the edition's safeguards, better than 85% of metro areas · 2026, South Carolina · Religious Liberty in the States
  • State Religious Freedom Restoration Act: 1 1 = full protection, 0 = none, better than 70% of metro areas · 2026, South Carolina · Religious Liberty in the States
  • Anti-Christian hate crimes: 0.1 incidents per 100,000, better than 28% of metro areas · 2025, South Carolina · FBI Crime Data Explorer

Quote and download

Cite it as: Joy Project City Score v1.0, Surfside Beach, SC, 2026-Q4, staging.joyproject.com/cities/surfside-beach-sc/score

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