HomeSouth CarolinaHorry County
Horry County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Horry County, South Carolina has a population of 383,016 across 1,134 square miles, up 17.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $22.77 bn in 2024, 10,550 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 308 7(a) approvals worth $193.2 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Horry County
How many people live in Horry County
- Population383,016
- Households158,779
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$66,880
- Median age48.7
- Median gross rent$1,255 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$287,700
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher27.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over288,090
- Population under 1864,964
- Share under 1817.0 percent
- Population 65 and over100,979
- Share 65 and over26.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64217,073
- Civilian labor force173,843
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.7 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties4th of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents195th
Horry County is the 4th largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.4 percent against 17.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Horry County
Is Horry County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base17.76 percent
- Census 2020 base population351,038
- Births, 20243,286
- Deaths, 20244,695
- Natural change, 2024-1,409
- Net domestic migration, 202414,565
- Net international migration, 20241,746
- Total net migration, 202416,311
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202461,477
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents31st
The county has grown 17.76 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Horry County
Where people moving to Horry County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving15,877
- People arriving, from those returns27,856
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.37 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$86,199
- Largest single originHorry County Non-migrants (145,305 households)
- Largest single destination (145,305 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horry County Non-migrants | 145,305 | 272,178 | $10.25 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 4,648 | 8,180 | $390.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 2,255 | 3,950 | $205.3 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 906 | 1,571 | $69.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 877 | 1,551 | $66.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 610 | 1,108 | $49.5 m |
| Georgetown County | 505 | 918 | $36.5 m |
| Suffolk County | 352 | 631 | $40.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Horry County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Horry County
What the Horry County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$22.77 bn
- County GDP, 2023$21.23 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.3 percent
- GDP change over five years55.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Carolina counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents240th
- GDP per resident$59,461
Output grew 7.3 percent in the latest year and 55.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Horry County
Who employs people in Horry County
- Covered employment, annual average144,489
- Establishments reporting12,484
- Average annual pay$48,046
- Average weekly wage$924
- Sector 72, employment31,021
- Sector 72, average annual pay$28,114
- Sector 44-45, employment26,179
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,857
- Sector 62, employment15,351
- Sector 62, average annual pay$64,370
- Sector 23, employment9,218
- Sector 23, average annual pay$63,874
- Sector 56, employment8,525
- Sector 71, employment5,282
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 31,021 | 1,432 | $28,114 |
| Sector 44-45 | 26,179 | 1,808 | $35,857 |
| Sector 62 | 15,351 | 1,136 | $64,370 |
| Sector 23 | 9,218 | 1,305 | $63,874 |
| Sector 56 | 8,525 | 816 | $46,421 |
| Sector 71 | 5,282 | 280 | $27,072 |
| Sector 54 | 4,932 | 1,527 | $75,859 |
| Sector 53 | 4,286 | 946 | $48,870 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 31,021 jobs, 21.5 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Horry County
What businesses operate in Horry County
- Establishments, all industries10,550
- Employment at those establishments123,792
- Annual payroll$5.20 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents27.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Horry County
What is being built in Horry County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20247,331
- Declared construction value permitted$1.49 bn
- Single family units authorised7,269
- Multifamily units authorised62
- Multifamily share of units0.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$203,495
- Units authorised per 1,000 households46.2
Multifamily is 0.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Horry County
How much SBA lending happens in Horry County
- 7(a) approvals recorded308
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$193.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$627,378
- Median 7(a) approval$275,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,720,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)3,681
- Jobs per approval12.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active69
- Distinct industries receiving approvals122
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms60
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter224
- Franchise loans62
- Franchise share of approvals20.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (22)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (67)
- 504 approvals recorded41
- 504 gross approval dollars$57.1 m
- Average 504 approval$1,392,951
- Median 504 approval$1,044,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval18.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.3
- Most active CDCProvident Business Financial Services, Inc. (21)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals88.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$250.3 m
The average approval of $627,378 sits well above the median of $275,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 19.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Horry County
Do SBA loans in Horry County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded63
- Paid in full56
- Charged off7
- Charge off rate on resolved loans11.1 percent
- Status: Paid in full56
- Status: Exempt from disclosure192
- Status: Cancelled34
- Status: Charged off7
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed19
Of the 63 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11.1 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Horry County
Which parts of Horry County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending14
- MYRTLE BEACH, approvals176
- Conway, approvals41
- Little River, approvals20
- NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, approvals18
- MURRELLS INLET, approvals18
- SURFSIDE BEACH, approvals16
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| MYRTLE BEACH | 176 | $110,099,100 |
| Conway | 41 | $11,522,900 |
| Little River | 20 | $20,150,000 |
| NORTH MYRTLE BEACH | 18 | $8,972,200 |
| MURRELLS INLET | 18 | $17,001,800 |
| SURFSIDE BEACH | 16 | $10,992,800 |
| Loris | 8 | $7,004,400 |
| SURFSIDE | 3 | $3,118,000 |
MYRTLE BEACH accounts for 176 approvals against 41 in Conway. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Horry County
How big is Horry County
- Land area1,134 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties1st of 46
- Width, east to west45.8 mi
- Height, north to south50.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land338
- Establishments per square mile9.30
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Horry County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Horry County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population383,016
- Households158,779
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$66,880
- Median age48.7
Common questions
Horry County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Horry County, South Carolina?
383,016, in 158,779 households, ranking 4th of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Horry County growing?
The population has grown 17.76 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 3,286 births against 4,695 deaths, with net migration of 16,311. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Horry County?
$66,880. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $287,700, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,255 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Horry County?
10,550 establishments, employing 123,792 people with an annual payroll of $5.20 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Horry County?
Average annual pay is $48,046, or $924 a week, across 144,489 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Horry County?
308 7(a) approvals totalling $193.2 m since FY2020, across 69 lenders, with a median approval of $275,000, plus 41 504 approvals worth $57.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Horry County get paid back?
Of the 63 loans that have reached a final outcome, 56 were paid in full and 7 charged off, a charge off rate of 11.1 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Horry County?
7,331 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.49 bn. Multifamily was 0.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Horry County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Horry County come from?
The largest single origin is Horry County Non-migrants, with 145,305 households. Arriving households report an average income of $86,199 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Horry County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Horry County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.