| | Sanford, NC | Sunset Beach, NC | United States |
| Population | 30,024 | 4,091 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 51.0% | 57.2% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 49.0% | 42.8% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 34.5 | 64.4 | 38.4 |
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| Population - 2010 | 28,233 | 3,580 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 23,220 | 1,824 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 14,475 | 311 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 30.8% | 128.7% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 109.8% | 1,241.5% | 30.8% |
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| Population Density | 1,033.1 | 604.9 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 29.1 | 6.8 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.3 | 0.9 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Sanford, NC | Sunset Beach, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 7.5% | 3.4% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.7% | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 8.7% | 0.1% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.0% | 1.1% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.2% | 1.2% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.5% | 0.8% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 5.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 8.3% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 8.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.3% | 7.3% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.1% | 14.5% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 7.0% | 22.8% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 3.4% | 23.4% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.4% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Sanford, NC | Sunset Beach, NC | United States |
| White | 42.2% | 96.9% | 59.4% |
| Black | 24.7% | 0.4% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 1.6% | 1.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.7% | 0.5% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 28.6% | 0.5% | 18.4% |
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| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Sanford, NC | Sunset Beach, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 44.6% | 69.4% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 42.6% | 64.0% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.1% | 5.4% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 55.4% | 30.6% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 35.5% | 9.6% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.2% | 6.9% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 6.6% | 14.1% | 5.6% |
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| Household Size | 2.73 | 1.87 | 2.60 |
| Households | 10,760 | 2,184 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 7,349 | 1,315 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 30.3% | 7.8% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 28.7% | 76.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 3,411 | 869 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 27.4% | 1.7% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 13.7% | 14.5% | 10.8% |