Myrtle Beach named one of best places to live in South Carolina. Here’s why we’re ‘best’

Emalyn Muzzy
·2 min read
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Forbes confirmed what many Myrtle Beach residents already knew: Myrtle Beach is a great place to live.

The national financial magazine ranked the city the second best to live in South Carolina for 2024, topped only by Charleston.

Some of the reasons Myrtle Beach made the top 10 list include its affordability as a beach town, its “encouraging job sector for year-round residents,” and its mild winters. Influential industries include aerospace, healthcare and technology.

“Myrtle Beach is a small town, with all of those benefits, but with big-town amenities, too,” Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea told The Sun News by email. “Thanks to our millions of vacationers, we have an outstanding selection of restaurants, retail, recreation and relaxation opportunities. What other small town of 38,000 people has a Broadway at the Beach, a Market Common, a Grand Park, great neighborhoods, a Convention Center and Sports Center, 10 miles of beach, and more dining, shopping and activity choices than you could enjoy in a year’s time?”

The median price of a home is $384,950 and Myrtle Beach earned a community wellness score of 53/100, the Forbes report said.

This is no surprise given how fast the Myrtle Beach area has grown in recent years. Since 2010, over 10,000 people have moved to Myrtle Beach and over 100,000 have moved to Horry County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The city also has an average income of $43,378 and an unemployment rate of 4.1%.

Charleston, located about 100 miles south of Myrtle Beach, took No. 1 because of the mix of history, nightlife and economic opportunities. The Charleston metro area has over 800,000 people and has Boeing and Joint Base as employers in the area. Similar to Myrtle Beach, it has great beaches.

Charleston is more expensive than Myrtle Beach, with the average home price at $527,000 and the average income at $72,071.

It has an unemployment rate of 2.8% and a livability score of 64/100. Myrtle Beach has more reported criminal offenses than Charleston despite being four times smaller.