Horry County, SC

County

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2024 Population

383,016

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

48.7

1.04% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.2%

3.27% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$66,880

3.49% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$287,700

10.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

165,359

3.07% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Horry County, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.7% of the residents in Horry County, SC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Horry County, SC are Horry-Georgetown Technical College (2,288 degrees awarded in 2023), Coastal Carolina University (2,171 degrees), and Miller-Motte College-Conway (205 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Horry County, SC was $287,700, and the homeownership rate was 77.3%.

Most people in Horry County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Horry County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Horry County, SC borders Brunswick County, NC, Columbus County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Dillon County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, and Marion County, SC.

About the photo: Myrtle Beach, SC

Photo by Peter Miller

United States South Carolina Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

Population & Diversity

Horry County, SC is home to a population of 383k people, from which 96.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.68% of Horry County, SC residents were born outside of the country (25.6k people).

In 2024, there were 6.52 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (289k people) in Horry County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 44.4k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 14k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.7%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.7% of Horry County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Horry County, SC was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Horry County, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Horry County, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
289k ± 1.19k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
44.4k ± 754
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
14k ± 1.58k

7.31%

Hispanic Population

28k people

7.31% of the people in Horry County, SC are hispanic (28k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Horry County, SC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
63,986 ± 6,172 people
India
20,779 ± 3,532 people
Honduras
17,281 ± 3,222 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 63,986 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 20,779 and Honduras with 17,281.

Foreign-Born Population

6.68%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

25.6k people

6.63%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

24.5k people

As of 2024, 6.68% of Horry County, SC residents (25.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Horry County, SC was 6.63%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Horry County, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
12,944 ± 862
Gulf War (2001-)
4,322 ± 602
Gulf War (1990s)
3,891 ± 572

Horry County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.99 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Horry County, SC.

Economy

The economy of Horry County, SC employs 165k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Horry County, SC were Retail Trade (24,625 people), Accommodation & Food Services (20,164 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (20,163 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($77,813), Information ($60,647), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,035).

Employment

Occupations

165k

2024 Value

± 3,813

3.07%

1 Year growth

± 3.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Horry County, SC grew at a rate of 3.07%, from 160k employees to 165k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Horry County, SC, are Sales & Related Occupations (24,022 people), Management Occupations (18,223 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (16,631 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Horry County, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

165k

2024 Value

± 3,813

3.07%

1 Year growth

± 3.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Horry County, SC grew at a rate of 3.07%, from 160k employees to 165k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Horry County, SC, are Retail Trade (24,625 people), Accommodation & Food Services (20,164 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (20,163 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Horry County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Horry County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,172

Median earning men ± $1,144

$35,187

Median earning women ± $1,060

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($67,353), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,151), and Public Administration ($57,359).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($55,614), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($44,669), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($44,557).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Y-Axis

2.54%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

785
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
782
Retail Trade
756
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$871k
Retail Trade
$847k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$759k
Accommodation and Food Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Horry County, SC awarded 4,727 degrees. The student population of Horry County, SC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 7,556 male students and 11,522 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Horry County, SC are White (3,232 and 68.9%), Black or African American (815 and 17.4%), Hispanic or Latino (277 and 5.9%), and Two or More Races (198 and 4.22%).

The largest universities in Horry County, SC by number of degrees awarded are Horry-Georgetown Technical College (2,288 and 48.4%), Coastal Carolina University (2,171 and 45.9%), and Miller-Motte College-Conway (205 and 4.34%).

The most popular majors in Horry County, SC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (966 and 20.4%), General Business Administration & Management (253 and 5.35%), and Marine Biology & Biological Oceonography (166 and 3.51%).

The median tuition cost in Horry County, SC for a public four year colleges is $11,460 for in-state students and $29,448 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Horry County, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 80.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 19,078 (39.6% men and 60.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 19,078 students enrolled in Horry County, SC, 39.6% men and 60.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 12,335 records, of which 59.8% were women and 40.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
176 degrees awarded
Marine Biology & Biological Oceonography
141 degrees awarded
General Psychology
130 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Horry County, SC was General Business Administration & Management with 176 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Horry County, SC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Horry-Georgetown Technical College
2,288 degrees awarded
Coastal Carolina University
2,171 degrees awarded
Miller-Motte College-Conway
205 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Horry-Georgetown Technical College with 2,288 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,882 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Horry County, SC, which is 0.662 times less than the 2,845 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,232 degrees mean that there were 3.97 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 815 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 2-year ($15,660) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($268) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,560) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Horry County, SC was $287,700 in 2024, which is 0.865 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $260,500 to $287,700, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Horry County, SC is 77.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Horry County, SC have an average commute time of 23.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Horry County, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Horry County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.79%.

Housing

Property

$287,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,754

$122,680

Median Property Taxes

±$3,004

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Horry County, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Horry County, SC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.3%

Homeownership

2024

68.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.3% of the housing units in Horry County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Horry County, SC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$66,880

Median Household Income

± $1,763

159k

Number of Households

± 3,540

In 2024, the median household income of the 159k households in Horry County, SC grew to $66,880 from the previous year's value of $64,623.

The following chart displays the households in Horry County, SC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Horry County, SC is from South Carolina.

0.464

2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.102% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.9%)
Worked At Home (11%)
Carpooled (7.99%)

In 2024, 76.9% of workers in Horry County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11%) and those who carpooled to work (7.99%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Horry County, SC have a shorter commute time (23.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.95% of the workforce in Horry County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Horry County, SC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Horry County, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Horry County, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Horry County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.79%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

13.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Horry County, SC (49.7k out of 376k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Horry County, SC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 19.8% of the children was living in poverty in Horry County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 12.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 569 in Horry County, SC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 88 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

88.3% of the population of Horry County, SC has health coverage, with 32.4% on employee plans, 15.5% on Medicaid, 19.8% on Medicare, 18.9% on non-group plans, and 1.69% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Horry County, SC see 1,603 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,603 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2336 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 554 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,603 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Horry County, SC

Primary care physicians in Horry County, SC see an average of 1,603 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,603 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Horry County, SC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.6% under 18 years, 16.7% between 18 and 34 years, 38.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 26.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

11.7%

Uninsured

32.4%

Employer Coverage

15.5%

Medicaid

19.8%

Medicare

18.9%

Non-Group

1.69%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Horry County, SC declined by 6.08% from 12.4% to 11.7%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Horry County, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 62.6 in Horry County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Horry County, SC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 34.7% in Horry County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Horry County, SC.