Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domainSurfside Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Surfside Beach’s village government spent $679,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,153 per resident.
What stands out about how Surfside Beach is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$1,153 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Surfside Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,153 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $428, and the middle half spent $184–$750. Surfside Beach spent more than 90% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Surfside Beach itself left out).
About $1,153 per resident a year, or $3.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 70%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Surfside Beach reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,420 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Surfside 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Surfside Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Surfside Beach →
Who’s in charge in Surfside Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 21 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (589).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Brazosport Independent School District
Surfside Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Freeport, Jones Creek, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,423 per pupil, $7,680 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Surfside Beach’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Surfside Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brazoria County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.2%95,867 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.5%63,976 votesOthers: 1.4% (2,203 votes).
Most votes in Brazoria County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Surfside Beach lies in Brazoria County. Every 2024 race in Brazoria County is on the county’s page.
Brazoria 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 Surfside Beach.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Surfside Beach compares with the towns next door
Surfside Beach spent $1,153 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Freeport | estimate | $1,176 |
| Surfside Beach | $1,153 | $4,420 |
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 Surfside Beach’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Surfside Beach’s government
How much does Surfside Beach spend per resident?
About $1,153 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,153 was more than 90% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Surfside Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,420 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Surfside Beach’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Surfside Beach yet.
How did Surfside Beach vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Surfside Beach alone. Brazoria County, where 100% of Surfside Beach lies, voted Trump 59.2%, Harris 39.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Surfside Beach?
28 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $134,104 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Surfside Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Joan Huffman) and State House District 25 (Cody Vasut). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Surfside 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 →