Photo: Chris Currivan · CC BY-SA 3.0Sunset Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Sunset Beach’s town government spent $26,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $6 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sunset Beach is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,946 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Sunset Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,946 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $967, and the middle half spent $462–$1,402. Sunset Beach spent more than 87% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($310,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sunset Beach itself left out).
About $6 per resident a year, or $0.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: health & welfare, at 58%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 100% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sunset Beach reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,946 · 2023: $6 · 2024: $6.
full-time in March 2025, up from 53 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,167 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sunset Beach’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Sunset Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sunset Beach →
Who’s in charge in Sunset Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sunset Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on sunsetbeachnc.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 76 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,391).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brunswick County Schools
Sunset Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Bald Head Island, Belville, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Calabash and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,563 per pupil, $7,787 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sunset Beach’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Sunset Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brunswick County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%67,658 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.1%40,557 votesOthers: 1.1% (1,163 votes).
Most votes in Brunswick County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Sunset Beach lies in Brunswick County. Every 2024 race in Brunswick County is on the county’s page.
Brunswick County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Sunset Beach.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: sunsetbeachnc.gov ↗
- 2North Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Sunset Beach compares with the towns next door
Sunset Beach spent $1,946 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $397. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Calabash | $397 | $1,321 |
| Sunset Beach | $1,946 | $2,167 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Sunset Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sunset Beach’s government
How much does Sunset Beach spend per resident?
About $6 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,946 was more than 87% of 119 North Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sunset Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,167 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sunsetbeachnc.gov.
Who runs Sunset Beach’s government?
See sunsetbeachnc.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sunset Beach yet.
How did Sunset Beach vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Sunset Beach alone. Brunswick County, where 100% of Sunset Beach lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 37.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sunset Beach?
58 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $377,174 (about $4.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sunset Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Bill Rabon) and State House District 17 (Frank Iler). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sunset Beach’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →