Horry County ( , silent "h" like its namesake Peter Horry) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the central county in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, about north of Charleston, and about east of the state capital, Columbia.
History Horry County was created from Georgetown District in 1801. At this time, the county had an estimated population of 550. Isolated by the many rivers and swamps typical of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the area essentially was surrounded by water, forcing its inhabitants to survive without much assistance from the "outside world". This caused the county residents to become an extremely independent populace, and they named their county "The Independent Republic of Horry". The county was named after, and in honor of, Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry who was born in South Carolina around 1743. Horry started his military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains, elected by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790, he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis Marion.
The population has increased more than fourfold since 1970, as the area has become a destination for retirees and people owning second homes.
On October 29, 2012, the county paid homage to the man for whom the county is named. It commissioned a bronze sculpture of Peter Horry, installing it inside the Horry County Government and Justice Center. The sculpture was designed by artist Garland Weeks. Coastal Monument of Conway designed the stone base. The base of the sculpture is inscribed with the names of the 1801 commissioners on one side and the names of 2011 Horry County Council members on the other; a brief biography of General Peter Horry is on the front. It cost slightly more than $16,200 for both the bust/sculpture and the stone base.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (9.68%) is water. It is the largest county by land area in South Carolina. The highest point in the county is above sea level. Horry County 2011-2012 Budget: Community Profile on page 24
Horry County is in the northeastern corner of South Carolina. It is a diverse land made up of rivers, beaches, forests, and swamps, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Little Pee Dee River and Drowning Creek (also known as the Lumber River) on its western side, and North Carolina to the north. The Waccamaw River, around long, runs through southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina into Horry County. The river runs through the coastal plain, along the eastern border between the two states, and into the Atlantic Ocean.
National protected area Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (part)
State and local protected areas/sites Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area Conway Post Office Heritage Shores Nature Preserve Horry County Museum Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area Myrtle Beach State Park North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum Russell Burgess Coastal Preserve Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area
Major water bodies Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean) Calabash River Dunes Lake Great Pee Dee River Intracoastal Waterway Lake Busbee Little Pee Dee River Little River Long Bay Lumber River Murrells Inlet Tuckahoe Bay Waccamaw River
Adjacent counties
Robeson County, North Carolina - northwest Columbus County, North Carolina – northeast Brunswick County, North Carolina – east Georgetown County – southwest Marion County – west Dillon County – northwest
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Horry County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)77,553116,284157,040208,096265,72976.47%80.72%79.87%77.28%75.70%Black or African American alone (NH)22,07525,05230,20635,75339,36721.77%17.39%15.36%13.28%11.21%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1153307421,0751,1740.11%0.23%0.38%0.40%0.33%Asian alone (NH)3501,0891,4812,7744,5780.35%0.76%0.75%1.03%1.30%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census80232303xx0.04%0.09%0.09%Other race alone (NH)188391893951,4220.19%0.03%0.10%0.15%0.41%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,8344,28314,152xx0.93%1.59%4.03%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,1381,2595,05716,68324,3041.12%0.87%2.57%6.20%6.92%Total101,419144,053196,629269,291351,029 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 351,029 and 89,281 families. The median age was 49.0 years, with 17.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 26.8% 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 92.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 77.1% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.9% of the population.
75.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 150,221 households in the county, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 203,702 housing units, of which 26.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.9% were owner-occupied and 26.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.2%.
2010 census At the 2010 census, 269,291 people, 112,225 households, and 72,254 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 185,992 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 79.9% White, 13.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.3% were American, 13.4% were African American (which can include other ethnicities), 13.3% were Irish, 12.8% were German, 11.3% were English, and 6.1% were Italian.
Of the 112,225 households, 27.3% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were not families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 41.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,142 and for a family was $51,608. Males had a median income of $37,351 versus $29,525 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,811. About 11.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Law, government, and politics
State delegation Horry County has a South Carolina House of Representatives delegation made up of 10 state representatives. In addition, the county has a South Carolina Senate delegation made up of five state senators. The delegations work concurrently to represent county issues in Columbia.
State House of Representatives delegation The county's State House of Representatives delegation is currently made up of: DistrictRepresentativePartyResidence55Jackie E. HayesDemDillon56Tim McGinnisRepMyrtle Beach57Lucas AtkinsonDemMarion58Jeff JohnsonRepConway68Heather Ammons CrawfordRepMyrtle Beach103Carl AndersonDemGeorgetown104William BaileyRepNorth Myrtle Beach105Kevin HardeeRepLoris106 Val Guest, Jr.RepMyrtle Beach107Case BrittainRepMyrtle Beach
State Senate delegation The county's State Senate delegation is currently made up of: DistrictRepresentativePartyResidence28Greg HembreeRepublicanNorth Myrtle Beach30Kent M. WilliamsDemocraticMarion32Ronnie A. SabbDemocraticGreeleyville33Luke A. RankinRepublicanConway34Stephen GoldfinchRepublicanMurrells Inlet
County council The county council of Horry County consists of members who represent 11 single-member districts with a chairman voted at-large. The county council meets at the Horry County Government and Justice Center in the first week of every month. Patricia S. Hartley is the clerk to council, members of the county council include:
Current county council members Name District Term Expires Johnny Gardner Chairman December 31, 2026 Jenna L. Dukes 1 December 31, 2026 Bill Howard 2 December 31, 2026 Dennis J. DiSabato, Jr. 3 December 31, 2024 Gary Loftus 4 December 31, 2024 Tyler Servant 5 December 31, 2026 Cam Crawford 6 December 31, 2024 Tom Anderson 7 December 31, 2026 Michael Masciarelli 8 December 31, 2026 R. Mark Causey 9 December 31, 2024 Danny Hardee 10 December 31, 2024 Al Allen 11 December 31, 2022
Past composition of the county council PeriodYearChairman (at-large)District 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11 Past2007Liz GillandHarold WorleyUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownAl Allen20082009Marion FoxworthGary LoftusUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownW. Paul PrinceJody Prince20102011Tom RiceBrent SchulzPaul PriceUnknownCarl SchwartzkopfJames Frazier20122013Bob Grabowski*20142015Mark LazarusBill HowardTyler ServantJames FrazierJohnny VaughtBob Grabowski*20162017Dennis DiSabatoCam CrawfordDanny Hardee20182019Johnny GardnerOrton Bellamy2020 Current2021R. Mark Causey2022* Note: Bob Grabowski's seat was renumbered from District 6 to District 8 during the redistricting of council seats.
Law enforcement The Horry County Police Department provides 24-hour services to the unincorporated areas of the county. It is the only county police department in South Carolina. The Horry County Sheriff's Office is responsible for courthouse security, processing of warrants, fingerprinting, registration of sex offenders, funeral escorts, background checks, and managing the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. The South Carolina Highway Patrol has a Troop 5 barracks in Conway, and provides services throughout the county. Myrtle Beach, Conway, Briarcliffe Acres, Atlantic Beach, Surfside Beach, Loris, and Aynor all have their own police departments, which patrol within the relevant town or city's border. North Myrtle Beach has a Public Safety Department, which provides police and fire services in the city of North Myrtle Beach.
In March 2020, Todd Cox, a former Horry County police officer, was fined $300 for failing to investigate reports of sex crimes against children. He and three other officers had been indicted in 2016 on charges of coercing sex and ignoring cases.
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