1 census tracts · pop 1,735 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.1/10
· range 3.1–3.1
Harbor Lights is a one-tract neighborhood of Surfside Beach, SC and houses 1,735 people. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 3.1/10, in the Lower tier. Average gross rent is $1,761, 38% above the Surfside Beach average of $1,274.
Severe burden reaches 27%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. The clearest offset is eviction-process difficulty, at 1.8/10.
The voucher gap is 25.3%: households holding assistance that local rents will not absorb, which shows up as churn rather than arrears. Cost burden runs 38% against 30.1% citywide, putting Harbor Lights 8.0% over its own city.
On the softer side is economic stress, at 1.9/10. CDC survey data puts housing insecurity at 6.0% of adults, against 14.2% nationally. The filing record is not thin: 95 evictions logged in this tract.
Running hot is supply constraint at 7.5/10. 4.0% of adults report being unable to pay a utility bill, below a 9.2% national figure. Utility arrears usually lead rent arrears by a month or two.
The worst year on record was 2012, when filings touched 12.2% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 10.1% in 2014 against a 12.2% peak.
Annual rent works out to 25% of average household income of $85,181.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 3.1/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
3.1
Lower
1 tracts · population-weighted
Harbor Lights vs Surfside BeachHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority19%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport16%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Harbor Lights
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
95Total filings (sum)
10.11%Avg annual filing rate
12.2%Peak year (2012)
10.05%Latest filed (2014)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Harbor Lights
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
6.0%Housing insecurity
4.0%Utility shutoff threat
8.0%Food insecurity
4.0%SNAP enrollment
7.2%No health insurance
28.0%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Harbor Lights
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Harbor Lights?
Harbor Lights scores 3.1/10 (Lower tier) across 1 census tracts. The pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income and poverty signals.
Q2
How does Harbor Lights compare to Surfside Beach overall?
Harbor Lights scores 0.9 points lower than Surfside Beach overall (4/10). Renters spend 38% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,761 vs $1,274.
Q3
What is the average rent in Harbor Lights?
Average gross rent in Harbor Lights is $1,761/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 38% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Harbor Lights residents are renters?
31% of Harbor Lights households are renter-occupied (vs 33% in Surfside Beach). The neighborhood has 1,735 residents.
Q5
Is Harbor Lights a high social-vulnerability area?
Harbor Lights sits in the 17th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is Harbor Lights for landlords?
Harbor Lights carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.1/10). Pop-weighted across 1 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Surfside Beach as a whole (4/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Harbor Lights?
Harbor Lights has 1,852 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (89.5%), Other / Multiracial (5.1%), Black (non-Hispanic) (3.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
