In Horry County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Horry County, 26.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Horry County's score
In Horry County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.8. Jobs come next, at 72.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Horry County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Horry County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (90.6, 2025) and median household income ($68,932, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.2% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 72.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,932 · 202443rd percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people90.6 · 202531st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Horry County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Horry County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Horry County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Horry County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 32.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Horry County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Horry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.9% in 2011 to 12.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Horry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Horry County, South Carolina.
How Horry County has changed
Horry County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 343,444 in 2019 to 413,391 in 2024.
Horry County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 413,391, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 99,379. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Horry County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Horry County more than doubled to 146,160, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 146,160. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Horry County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.5% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,306 | 2024 $68,932 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Horry County's history
2004
A rip current in June 2004 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A rip current in June 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A rip current in July 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 351,029, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Horry County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Horry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Horry County, in South Carolina and North Carolina, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Horry County ranks 5th of the seven; Robeson County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Marion County, SC | 94 | 30.8% | 39.9% |
| Dillon County, SC | 92 | 23.8% | 40.5% |
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
| Georgetown County, SC | 66 | 17.4% | 28.5% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 42 | 9.0% | 31.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Horry County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Horry County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 33rd highest of 46 in South Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Allendale County, at 31.6%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Horry County ranks 26th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Horry County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
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Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Horry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.