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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-MYRTLE-BEACH-SC · Myrtle Beach, SC 37,214 pop · income 25th pct · 78 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Myrtle Beach
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Myrtle Beach on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Muskegon · lowest
46,342
Muskegon · lowest
46,342 median HH income
37.8% of the leader · rank #1
Los Alamos · near
53,673
Los Alamos · near
53,673 median HH income
43.8% of the leader · rank #2
Deer Lodge · near
53,676
Deer Lodge · near
53,676 median HH income
43.8% of the leader · rank #3
Myrtle Beach · this city
53,679
Myrtle Beach · this city
53,679 median HH income
43.8% of the leader · rank #4
Fredericktown · near
53,681
Fredericktown · near
53,681 median HH income
43.8% of the leader · rank #5
Osakis · near
53,684
Osakis · near
53,684 median HH income
43.8% of the leader · rank #6
Midlothian · highest
122,643
Midlothian · highest
122,643 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Myrtle Beach on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 37,214.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Myrtle Beach - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Myrtle Beach places in the 25th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
25th
percentile, household income
72nd
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
1st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Myrtle Beach, SC
South Carolina's Myrtle Beach is a small city, with 37,214 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Myrtle Beach report a median income of $53,679 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.8%. Typical homes in Myrtle Beach are valued around $347,700, and the median resident age is 47.0 years. 34.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 56.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 198 residential building permits were authorized in Myrtle Beach (Construction Slowdown), down 62% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Myrtle Beach's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 6767.1 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 62.4°F with 53.6 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, South Carolina scores 93.7 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,155 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 16.2 minutes, with 72.5% driving alone and 12.5% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Myrtle Beach's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to within-city variation to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households to population change to reported crime to climate and hazard context; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Myrtle Beach, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Myrtle Beach?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 72.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 16.2 minutes.
What can 78 Census tracts reveal inside Myrtle Beach?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 78 Census tracts to this city.
How far does income reach against housing in Myrtle Beach?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Myrtle Beach?
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Hilton Head Island (37,805 residents, $96,715 income); Spartanburg (38,578 residents, $51,193 income); Greer (39,191 residents, $80,030 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Muskegon, MI (37,203 residents); Cedar City, UT (37,202 residents); Leavenworth, KS (37,176 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Myrtle Beach?
The NCES join finds 25 public schools within the city match. 34.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
25
Bachelor's degree+
34.1%
Poverty estimate
11.8%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Is Myrtle Beach growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +4,965 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +13.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 198 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+13.8%
2025 estimate
40,937
2020 estimate
35,972
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Myrtle Beach?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 6767.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 197% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
5655.5
Violent rate
1111.6
Total reported rate
6767.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What physical conditions frame life in Myrtle Beach?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 62.4°F, with 53.6 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for South Carolina is 70.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
62.4°F
Annual precipitation
53.6 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
70.7
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Below median income · poverty 11.8% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
F
City profile score · Myrtle Beach, SC
37/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B
93.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share B-
34.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$53,679
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
1,112 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Myrtle Beach profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Bachelor's+ share: 65/100 (B-) · 34.1%
Poverty rate: 33/100 (F) · 11.8%
Household income: 25/100 (F) · $53,679
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 1,112 /100k
Where Myrtle Beach sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Myrtle Beach's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Myrtle Beach highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Myrtle Beach, SC (this city): home $347,700, crime 6,767/100k
Cedar City, UT : home $348,000, crime 1,160/100k
Leavenworth, KS : home $176,000, crime 3,084/100k
Midlothian, TX : home $369,400, crime 1,078/100k
Tooele, UT : home $338,400, crime 1,705/100k
Spartanburg, SC : home $185,300, crime 6,709/100k
Greer, SC : home $264,300, crime 2,072/100k
Florence, SC : home $189,800, crime 4,725/100k
Aiken, SC : home $261,800, crime 4,527/100k
Sumter, SC : home $188,400, crime 4,804/100k
How does Myrtle Beach compare to other US cities?
Myrtle Beach measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income25% higher than other cities
Home value72% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety1% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to South Carolina alone, Myrtle Beach ranks #115 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Myrtle Beach against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
South Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Myrtle Beach near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Myrtle Beach ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Myrtle Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#183 of 403
55th percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#41 of 404
90th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#232 of 439
47th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#78 of 441
82nd percentile in South Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
25th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Myrtle Beach's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Myrtle Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Myrtle Beach's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$347,70028th percentilemore affordable than 28% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Myrtle Beach's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,429 of 15,516
More affordable than 7% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,042 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 6.5×, Myrtle Beach sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,429 of 15,516 and #3,042 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$53,679Myrtle Beach, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Myrtle Beach, SC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Myrtle Beach, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)34.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
37,214
Median Income
$53,679
Median Home Value
$347,700
Median Age
47.0
Poverty Rate
11.8%
Labor force participation
56.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
34.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
6767.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
1111.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
5655.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
62.4°F
Annual Precipitation
53.6"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
25
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Myrtle Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
35,972 residents
2021
37,014 residents
2022
38,499 residents
2023
39,838 residents
2024
40,669 residents
2025
40,937 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
198
housing units authorized
Single-Family
198
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
525
509
16
$155.5M
2020
505
505
0
$167.3M
2021
691
691
0
$227.2M
2022
716
716
0
$288.5M
2023
346
346
0
$146.4M
2024
198
198
0
$84.2M
Permit volume decreased 62% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
16.2 minutes
Drive Alone
72.5%
Carpool
7.6%
Public Transit
2.4%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
12.5%
Other
2.5%
Based on 17,673 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
South Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $224
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Carolina at $224 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are South Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Myrtle Beach. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
South Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.7 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Myrtle Beach is $1,155/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a South Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Myrtle Beach sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Myrtle Beach compares to similar-size South Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.