Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Myrtle Beach, 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 average
-
C
Income Below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35,303 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1490.4 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.20% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.1 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,962 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Myrtle Beach grew by 33.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 35,303 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Myrtle Beach is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.5% of residents. That is 4.1 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,439 18.2% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,012 19.9% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,574 21.5% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,961 22.5% +4.1 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 50.0% of the people living in Myrtle Beach and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 50.0% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Myrtle Beach
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Myrtle Beach has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,153 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.03% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Myrtle Beach is about 19% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $260,342 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,241 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.9% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Myrtle Beach is about 17.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,241 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Myrtle Beach spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 134 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.1 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.2 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 134 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,161 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.6% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,670 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,532 | 1,499 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Myrtle Beach is 16 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
Myrtle Beach has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.0% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Myrtle Beach has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.8% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 21.5% | 19.0% |
Myrtle Beach, SC Compared With Nearby Cities
How Myrtle Beach, SC compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach, SC | 35,303 | $56,153 #3/3 | $260,342 #3/3 | 16.1 min #1/3 |
| Carolina Forest, SC | 24,923 | $78,534 | $434,223 | 19.0 min |
| Socastee, SC | 22,859 | $59,962 | $1,071,168 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
What is the population of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?
About 35,303 people live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 15,962 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
How densely populated is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has 1,490 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 17 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($260,342 against $56,153), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,241 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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 →