Personal loans in the Myrtle Beach metro area

Places in the Myrtle Beach metro area that have a local guide

Source for every number in the table: Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024, which come with margins of error.

What differs across the area

Median gross rent among these places runs from $866 a month in Conway to $1,263 in North Myrtle Beach, and median household income runs from $56,650 in Conway to $72,722 in North Myrtle Beach. That spread is wide enough that two neighbors in the same metro can face different loan math.

Together the 3 places hold about 85,489 residents across 1 county. Homeownership runs from 61% in Myrtle Beach to 82% in North Myrtle Beach, and the share of workers commuting 45 minutes or more runs from 5% in Myrtle Beach to 10% in Conway. Renters in Myrtle Beach have no equity to tap, while owners in North Myrtle Beach must decide whether borrowing against a house is worth the risk.

Across the area, our place notes keep returning to tourism and hospitality, coastal storm exposure, universities, retiree-oriented housing and services, each with its own pay rhythm and its own typical surprise expense.

Before you borrow in the Myrtle Beach area

For Myrtle Beach-area borrowers, a quick license check with South Carolina's Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance comes first, then a side-by-side look at three written offers using our checklist.

Jobs, age and schooling by county

Here is how the 1 Myrtle Beach-area county in our set compare on jobs and people: the newest BLS unemployment rate (preliminary, not seasonally adjusted), last year's rate, median age, college degrees and the biggest industry.

Unemployment in Horry County stood at 4.2% in September 2026. The county figure is one input to the local job picture; your own employer and hours matter more than any average.

Income, rent and commutes by county

A lender will read your documents, not these tables. Use the numbers as context and test your own in the calculators.

What people do for work across the Myrtle Beach area

Industry mix by county for the biggest six employers across the area, per the 2020 to 2024 ACS.

Horry County is led by education and health care (21%), then arts, entertainment, lodging and food service (16%) and retail (15%). Why it matters: documentation. Salaried and public employers are simple to verify, while hourly, tipped, commission or contract earners should expect to show bank statements and returns.

Place by place in the Myrtle Beach area

• Myrtle Beach, Horry County: about 38,371 residents, median household income $60,394, median rent $1,261, with 59% of renters paying 30 percent or more of income on rent. Myrtle Beach anchors the Grand Strand, where hospitality and tourism drive seasonal work. Income can swing sharply between summer and winter.
• Conway, Horry County: about 27,263 residents, median household income $56,650, median rent $866, with 52% of renters paying 30 percent or more of income on rent. Conway is the Horry County seat on the Waccamaw River and the home of Coastal Carolina University. It sits just inland from the Grand Strand's tourism economy.
• North Myrtle Beach, Horry County: about 19,855 residents, median household income $72,722, median rent $1,263, with 64% of renters paying 30 percent or more of income on rent. North Myrtle Beach is a Grand Strand resort city known for beaches, golf and shag dancing. Seasonal hospitality work and retirees shape the local economy, and hurricane season affects insurance.

Where budgets feel tighter in the Myrtle Beach area

Rent is the heaviest burden in North Myrtle Beach, where 64% of renter households spend 30 percent or more of income on it, and the lightest in Conway at 52%. Long commutes are most common in Conway, with 10% of workers traveling 45 minutes or more, against 5% in Myrtle Beach. Homeownership is highest in North Myrtle Beach at 82% and lowest in Myrtle Beach at 61%, which changes who borrows for repairs and who borrows for moves. Home prices relative to income are steepest in Myrtle Beach, where the median home costs 6.4 times the median household income, and gentlest in Conway at 4.6 times. Working from home is most common in North Myrtle Beach (18% of workers) and least in Conway (6%), and remote or self-employed income usually needs more documents when you apply.

Situations that come up in the Myrtle Beach area

Tourism work in the Myrtle Beach area can swing with the season: strong summers, thin winters. A lender sees only your documented income, so borrow against the lower months, not the peak ones.

Coastal homes carry storm-season costs that inland homes do not: shutters, roof work, drainage and higher insurance deductibles. If a deductible is due before a claim pays, a short-term loan can bridge it, but confirm the claim timeline first.

University employers and students create steady and seasonal income at once. If your pay in the Myrtle Beach area follows a school calendar, a lender will verify it, so keep contracts or pay stubs ready.

County guides

• Horry County, SC