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Surfside Beach vs Freeport

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

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Surfside Beach, TXA small town of 677Texas · 677 people
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Freeport, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 10,621 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.

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 →
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 →
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.

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

Surfside Beach and Freeport share a border

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

Surfside BeachFreeportSurfside BeachFreeport
Surfside Beach ↔ Freeport4.5 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
–Surfside BeachNot graded C−FreeportSafer than 21% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Surfside BeachNot graded B−FreeportBetter than 51% of districts in the state
Health
–Surfside BeachNot graded DFreeportHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns
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
Surfside BeachFreeport
Snow a year0″0″
January low46°F46°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)338d338d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th38th
Outdoors & history
Surfside BeachFreeport
Trails2 mi3 mi
Conserved land11.1%12.7%
Settled—1912
Community
Surfside BeachFreeport
Library hours a week—39 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.

Surfside BeachFreeport
People
Population 677Lowest 10,621Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -11.2% TX: +15.9%
Median age 54.5±5.7Highest 53% above TX 34.5±2.6Lowest 3% below TX
Kids under 18 8%±6.7Lowest TX: 25% 31.5%±5.9Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 25.1%±8.2Highest TX: 13.4% 12.1%±3Lowest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41%Highest TX: 33.8% 7.2%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±3.9Highest TX: 6.2% 4%±1.6Lowest 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 $100,446±$17kHighest 28% above TX $61,134±$9kLowest 22% below TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $337,700±$38kHighest 19% above TX $135,900±$27kLowest 52% below TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,600±$481Highest 14% above TX $1,176±$185Lowest 16% below 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 $4,420Highest 4% above TX $1,176Lowest 72% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±44.1Lowest TX: 51.7% 41.2%±14.3Highest 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 7.3%Lowest TX: 13.8% 13.7%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.2%Highest TX: 62.6% 58.8%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 9 yrs older than TX 1969Lowest 23 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 13% below TX 25 minHighest 5% below TX
Work from home 11.3%±3.6Highest TX: 14.4% 2.7%±2.4Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 0.9%Lowest 11%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.3 miLowest 40.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.08Lowest 2.24Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Houston (23%)Houston (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 8% work in FreeportFew work in Surfside Beach
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.1%Lowest 12.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.5 miLowest 3.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 6Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.1Highest 30.9Lowest
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.

Surfside Beach neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Surfside Beach’s Town Square.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Surfside Beach and Freeport

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Towns like Surfside Beach

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New Berlin633 people · $435K homes
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Clear Lake Shores1,140 people · $463K homes
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New Hope680 people · $423K homes
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Ingleside on the Bay745 people · $306K 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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