Horry County is aging faster than almost anywhere else in the country. According to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates for 2019–2023, 25.71 percent of the county’s roughly 369,000 residents are 65 or older — approximately 94,867 people. The national average sits at 16.84 percent. That means Horry County’s senior concentration runs 53 percent higher than the national average, highlighting the growing Horry County retirement population.

The median age here is 48.2 years, and more recent 2024 estimates push it to 48.7. Only 17.24 percent of the population is under 18, compared to 22.16 percent nationally. The county has fewer children and far more retirees than a typical American community, contributing to the notable Horry County retirement population, and the gap widens every year.

The single largest age cohort in Horry County is 60 to 64, numbering 32,010 residents. The 65 to 69 bracket follows closely at 31,844, then 70 to 74 at 30,209. Combined, residents aged 60 and older account for more than 126,000 people — roughly one in three, emphasizing the significance of the Horry County retirement population.

**The old-age dependency ratio stands at 42.7 seniors for every 100 working-age adults**, a figure that carries direct consequences for the tax base, healthcare capacity, and municipal budgets that sustain this community, especially with the increasing Horry County retirement population.

The trajectory matters as much as the snapshot. The county’s total population is projected to reach approximately 428,974 by 2025, and seniors are claiming a larger slice of that pie with each passing year. July 2024 estimates already place the 65-and-older share at 27.6 percent — nearly two full points above the ACS baseline, further illustrating the growth of the Horry County retirement population.

Understanding the Horry County Retirement Population

## The Fastest-Growing Senior Population in America

The raw percentages tell only part of the story. The speed of the shift is what distinguishes Horry County from other retirement-heavy communities.

According to LiveNOW from FOX, the Myrtle Beach metro area’s senior population grew 6.3 percent last year — the fastest rate in the nation, more than double the 3.1 percent national average. Since 2020, the 65-and-older population has surged 22 percent. Seniors now comprise more than a quarter of the metro area’s roughly 413,000 residents.

South Carolina as a whole ranked first in the nation for net growth among retirement-age residents, according to AARP, adding a net 5,427 retirement-age people in 2025 alone. The state’s total population grew 1.5 percent between July 2024 and July 2025, faster than any other state. Horry County ranked 34th out of more than 3,000 counties nationally with 3.8 percent growth in its 60-and-older population. Six South Carolina counties made the top 100 for retiree in-migration.

**This is not organic aging — it is mass relocation.** The county is not simply growing older because its existing residents are getting older. It is actively importing retirees from other states at a pace that reshapes the local economy and strains the systems built to serve a much smaller, younger population.

## Why Retirees Pick Horry County Over Everywhere Else

The math is straightforward, and retirees are doing it.

South Carolina does not tax Social Security retirement benefits. Residents 65 and older receive a $10,000 deduction on other retirement income. Those under 65 still get a $3,000 deduction. There is no estate tax and no inheritance tax. The effective property tax rate is 0.45 percent — among the lowest in the country. Seniors who qualify for the homestead exemption pay zero property tax on the first $50,000 of their home’s fair market value, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

The broader cost picture reinforces the tax advantage. South Carolina’s cost of living runs roughly 9 percent below the national average, according to SmartAsset. Housing costs come in 14 percent below national figures. Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from state sales tax — a direct benefit to retirees on fixed incomes managing chronic health conditions.

Mark Kruea, former Myrtle Beach public information officer and current mayoral candidate, put it plainly to FOX: “The climate’s great, taxes are low, there’s a wealth of opportunities for recreation, dining and shopping.

**The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated what was already a strong trend.** Remote work freed people from Northeast metros, and retirees from New York, Ohio, and other high-tax states discovered they could sell a modest home up north and buy something considerably better here.

Rising insurance and property costs in Florida have also redirected retirees who once would have landed in Fort Lauderdale or Tampa. U.S. News ranks Myrtle Beach 11th among the best places to retire in the country. Where to Retire magazine has listed the Myrtle Beach area among its top destinations.

The pitch works. The question is whether the county can absorb the consequences.

## A Working Economy Built on Low Wages and Tourism

Horry County’s economy was designed around tourism, not retirement services. The top three employment sectors tell the story: retail trade leads with 24,625 workers, followed by accommodation and food services at 20,164, and health care and social assistance at 20,163, according to Data USA.

These are not high-wage industries. The median household income is $66,880, and 13.2 percent of the population — approximately 49,700 people — lives below the poverty line. Nearly one in five children lives in poverty. The workers who keep this economy running — hotel clerks, restaurant servers, retail associates, home health aides — compete for housing against retirees who arrive with equity from sold homes in more expensive markets.

The workforce itself is aging. **Horry County has a higher share of workers over 65 — 5.60 percent — than both the state and national averages**, while carrying a smaller share of prime working-age adults between 25 and 64. That imbalance means fewer people generating payroll taxes relative to the number drawing on public services.

Medicare covers 19.8 percent of the county’s insured population. Medicaid covers another 15.5 percent. Employer-based insurance accounts for just 32.4 percent. In a county where a quarter of residents are retired and the dominant industries offer limited benefits, the gap between who uses services and who funds them is not theoretical. It shows up in every budget cycle.

Homeownership runs high at 77.3 percent, and the median property value has climbed to $287,700 — a 10.4 percent increase. For retirees who bought in a decade ago, that appreciation is a comfort. For younger families and workers trying to enter the market now, it is a wall.

## Housing Costs Squeeze Everyone Who Isn’t Already In

The housing numbers reveal the sharpest pressure point. According to MyHorryNews, the county’s population increased 29 percent while housing inventory grew only 10 percent. Supply never came close to matching demand.

Low-priced homes — the entry point for young families, first-time buyers, and service workers — jumped from $95,000 in 2013 to $187,500 in 2022, a 97 percent increase. Median-priced homes rose 69 percent to $275,000. The rental market followed the same trajectory. **Median rent climbed from $675 to $1,125, a 67 percent increase.** High-end rentals surged 84 percent, from $950 to $1,750.

The dynamic is predictable. Retirees arrive with cash or substantial equity. They bid on the same housing stock that local workers and young families need. One Horry County resident quoted by MyHorryNews captured the frustration: “Elderly couples that want to downsize are being beat out by people moving in.

That statement reveals the problem’s full scope. It is not only workers and young families being priced out. Long-term senior residents on fixed incomes — people who have lived here for decades — face the same squeeze. Retirement migration benefits the newcomers who drive prices up. It disadvantages everyone already here, regardless of age.

## Infrastructure Strains Under the Weight

The healthcare system illustrates the infrastructure gap most clearly. Grand Strand Health operates 301 beds. Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital has 167. McLeod Loris carries 105, and McLeod Seacoast has 50. That is 623 hospital beds serving a county of nearly 400,000 people — a population that skews dramatically older and sicker than the national norm.

**A county where more than a quarter of residents are 65 or older requires healthcare infrastructure scaled to that reality**, and 623 beds do not meet that standard, particularly during tourist season when the effective population doubles.

The Horry County Council on Aging operates 11 senior activity centers and provides daily transportation, home-delivered meals five days a week to homebound residents, and homemaker services. These programs serve real needs. They also depend on funding from a tax base where the ratio of working adults to retirees narrows every year.

The math runs in one direction. More retirees arrive. They pay low property taxes by design — that is the incentive that draws them. The workers who serve them earn modest wages in tourism and retail. The revenue generated by this economic structure must somehow cover roads, hospitals, emergency services, and senior programs for a population growing at one of the fastest rates in the country.

## What Comes Next

Horry County’s retirement boom is not slowing down. The tax advantages remain intact. Florida’s insurance costs keep pushing retirees northward. The pandemic-era migration patterns have hardened into permanent trends. The county will almost certainly cross 30 percent seniors within the next decade.

The question is not whether Horry County is a retirement destination. That is settled. The question is whether the county’s leadership will plan for the fiscal and infrastructure consequences of a population structure unlike nearly any other in the country — or whether residents, both old and new, will simply absorb the costs of growth that was invited but never adequately prepared for.

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## Further Reading

– [U.S. Census Bureau — Horry County Quick Facts](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/horrycountysouthcarolina)

– [Neilsberg — Horry County Population by Age](https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/horry-county-sc-population-by-age/)

– [LiveNOW from FOX — Myrtle Beach Senior Population Growth](https://www.livenowfox.com/news/myrtle-beach-senior-population-growth)

– [AARP — Top States for Retirement Moves](https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/retirees-top-states-2025/)

– [SmartAsset — South Carolina Retirement Tax Guide](https://smartasset.com/retirement/south-carolina-retirement-taxes)

– [Data USA — Horry County Economy Profile](https://datausa.io/profile/geo/horry-county-sc)

– [MyHorryNews — Housing Affordability in Horry County](https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/compounding-the-problem-population-growth-outpacing-housing-inventory-in-horry-county/article_186a404c-2d8c-11ef-bbc7-6b760539a011.html)