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Compare towns

Freeport vs Surfside Beach

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: property tax bill (3.8× in Surfside Beach) and size (15.7× in Freeport).

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Freeport, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 10,621 people
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Surfside Beach, TXA small town of 677Texas · 677 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

FreeportAn outdoors town
Outdoors#45 most conserved land in TX3.3 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves Housing$163K typical home45% below the TX typical home Work8,960 jobsbased in Freeport, a regional job hub All about Freeport →
Surfside BeachA small town of 677
Quiet strengthsSurfside Beach doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Surfside Beach →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill3.8×
Tax bills are bigger in Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach $4,420Freeport $1,176
Size15.7×
Freeport is the bigger place
Freeport 10,621Surfside Beach 677
Home values2.5×
Homes cost more in Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach $337,700Freeport $135,900
Kids under 18+23.5 pts
Freeport has more kids
Freeport 31.5%Surfside Beach 8%
Household income+64%
Households in Surfside Beach earn more
Surfside Beach $100,446Freeport $61,134
Median age20 yrs
Surfside Beach skews older
Surfside Beach 54.5Freeport 34.5
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,120 more a month in Surfside Beach

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Freeport$970/mo
Typical home $163K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $1,176/mo · Housing →
Surfside Beach$2,100/mo
Typical home $331K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.31% · or rent about $1,600/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,120 a month, about $13,500 a year, between Surfside Beach and Freeport.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Freeport and Surfside Beach share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

FreeportSurfside BeachFreeportSurfside Beach
Freeport ↔ Surfside Beach4.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
18 Surfside Beach residents work in Freeport (7.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Surfside Beach →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
C−FreeportSafer than 21% of U.S. towns –Surfside BeachNot graded
Schools
B−FreeportBetter than 51% of districts in the state –Surfside BeachNot graded
Health
DFreeportHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns –Surfside BeachNot graded
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
FreeportSurfside Beach
Snow a year0″0″
January low46°F46°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)338d338d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th76th
Outdoors & history
FreeportSurfside Beach
Trails3 mi2 mi
Conserved land12.7%11.1%
Settled1912—
Community
FreeportSurfside Beach
Library hours a week39 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

FreeportSurfside Beach
People
Population 10,621Highest 677Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -11.2% TX: +15.9% —
Median age 34.5±2.6Lowest 3% below TX 54.5±5.7Highest 53% above TX
Kids under 18 31.5%±5.9Highest TX: 25% 8%±6.7Lowest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 12.1%±3Lowest TX: 13.4% 25.1%±8.2Highest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.2%Lowest TX: 33.8% 41%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±1.6Lowest TX: 6.2% 4.4%±3.9Highest TX: 6.2%
Surfside Beach and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,134±$9kLowest 22% below TX $100,446±$17kHighest 28% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $135,900±$27kLowest 52% below TX $337,700±$38kHighest 19% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,176±$185Lowest 16% below TX $1,600±$481Highest 14% above TX
Surfside Beach and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,176Lowest 72% below TX $4,420Highest 4% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.2%±14.3Highest TX: 51.7% 0%±44.1Lowest TX: 51.7%
Freeport and Surfside Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.7%Highest TX: 13.8% 7.3%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Lowest TX: 62.6% 78.2%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1969Lowest 23 yrs older than TX 1983Highest 9 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 5% below TX 23 minLowest 13% below TX
Work from home 2.7%±2.4Lowest TX: 14.4% 11.3%±3.6Highest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 11%Highest 0.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.8 miHighest 40.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.24Highest 1.08Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Houston (18%)Houston (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Surfside Beach8% work in Freeport
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 12.7%Highest 11.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.9Lowest 76.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #358 of 583 in TX—
School district BRAZOSPORT ISD—
High school in town Brazosport H S—
Students per teacherat that high school 11.6 —
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

Surfside Beach neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Surfside Beach’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Freeport and Surfside Beach

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Freeport

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Lake Jackson27,974 people · $250K homes
Q
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Quintana18 people

Towns like Freeport

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Cleveland8,984 people · $174K homes
B
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Bellmead10,566 people · $155K homes
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Jacinto City9,432 people · $156K homes
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Pearsall9,045 people · $107K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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