Horry County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Horry County, SC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below averageHealthier than 80% of counties in South Carolina
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 71% of counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 382,931 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 305.2 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 3.08% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.1 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 158,700 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Horry County grew by 53.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 382,931 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Horry County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.6% of residents. That is 6.1 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 68,145 17.8% -3.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 72,286 18.9% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 83,980 21.9% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 94,093 24.6% +6.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below South Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.4% of the people living in Horry County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 48.6% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Horry County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Horry County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,773 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.15% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Horry County is about 4% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $259,566 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,255 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.3% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Horry County is about 17.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,255 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Horry County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.8 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,404 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,400 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,407 | 1,499 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
South Carolina:
Greenwood County (16.5 min), Sumter County (18.2 min), Florence County (18.3 min).
Slowest:
McCormick County (33.9 min), Fairfield County (30.8 min), Chester County (30.6 min).
The average commute time in Horry County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in South Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Horry County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.7% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.37 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
South Carolina:
Charleston County (0.4), Beaufort County (0.3), Richland County (0.3).
Lowest:
Allendale County (0.1), Marlboro County (0.2), Chesterfield County (0.2).
Health
Horry County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Horry County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.9% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 21.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
South Carolina:
Beaufort County (0.8), Charleston County (0.8), Dorchester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Dillon County (0.8), Allendale County (0.8), Marlboro County (0.8).
Horry County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Horry County, SC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 382,931 residents against a local median of 50,166. The measure that sets Horry County, SC apart most is median home price: $259,566, 95% above the local median of $132,812.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $66,773 against a local median of $49,633, 35% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 35% above the local median it puts Horry County, SC at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $195,459 on median home price, so Horry County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Horry County, SC has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horry County, SC | 382,931 | $66,773 #2/6 | $259,566 #1/6 | 20.9 min #2/6 |
| Marion County, SC | 28,664 | $36,420 | $132,812 | 28.5 min |
| Columbus County, NC | 50,166 | $49,633 | $81,071 | 25.4 min |
| Georgetown County, SC | 64,818 | $67,903 | $252,872 | 22.7 min |
| Dillon County, SC | 27,862 | $46,591 | $57,413 | 21.1 min |
| Florence County, SC | 137,115 | $58,597 | $164,627 | 18.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Horry County, South Carolina.
What is the population of Horry County, South Carolina?
About 382,931 people live in Horry County, South Carolina, in 158,700 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 47.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Horry County, South Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Horry County, South Carolina has 305 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Horry County, South Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($259,566 against $66,773), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,255 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Horry County, South Carolina have a college degree?
23.7% of adults in Horry County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →