HORRY COUNTY 2/2/2010
Date Formed:  1801
Land Area (square miles): 1,134
County Seat: Conway
Other Cities and Towns:
Atlantic Beach, Aynor, Briarcliffe Acres, Loris, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 12
Method of Election Single Member/ Chair at Large
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Waccamaw
County History
Horry County was named for Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry (1743-1815). The county was originally a part of Georgetown District, and at one time it was called Kingston. It became a separate county in 1801, with the county seat at Conway. This area of the state was isolated for many years by numerous rivers and swamps, and the inhabitants sometimes referred to themselves as the "Independent Republic of Horry." Lumber and naval stores were the primary industries during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, with tobacco farming being introduced later. In the twentieth century, tourism has come to dominate the coastal section of the county centered around Myrtle Beach. Television personality Vanna White is a native of Horry County.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980:  101,419 10 Numeric Change 1980-2000:  95,210 1
Population 1990:  144,053 7 Numeric Change 2000-2008: 60,751 1
Population 2000:  196,629 6 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:  4.69% 1
Population Estimate 2007:  249,711 5 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:  3.86% 3
Population Estimate 2008: 257,380 5 Percent Change 2006-2008: 2.98% 4
Persons Per Square Mile 2008:  227.0 10
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980:  46,904 7 Personal Income (PI) 2007: $7,068,484 6
Jobs 1990:  75,012 5 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007: 10.1% 3
Jobs 2000:  109,682 5 Per Capita Personal Income  2007: $28,307 19
Jobs 2006: 128,347 4 % of U.S. PCPI 2007: 73% 19
Jobs 2007: 130,040 5 Average Wage Per Job 2007: $29,385 33
Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007: 1,693 9 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:  67% 33
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000:  6.69% 1 Unemployment Rate 2007: 7.2% 28
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007: 2.65% 4 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  5.1% 36
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2007: $1,772,523,845 3 Per Capita Assessed Property 2007: $9,015 3
County Base Millage Rate 2009: 0.0473 46 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable) 
Value of One Mil 2009: $2,000,000 2 Local Option Sales Tax:  
Millage Cap FY10: 6.9% 4 Capital Projects Sales Tax: 1.0%
Net Taxable Sales FY07: $6,210,824,255 3 School District Sales Tax:  
Admissions Tax Collected FY07: $9,437,266 1 Transportation Sales Tax:  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY07:  $14,658,814 1
Financial & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY08: $345,292,962 2 Per Capita Revenues FY08: $1,756 1
Total Expenditures FY08: $259,527,748 2 Per Capita Expenditures FY08: $1,320 3
General Fund Budget FY10:  $132,254,822 3 Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10: $673 7
Total Debt Outstanding FY08: $500,265,420 1 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08: *** *
Payroll FY 2008: $63,012,890 3 Credit Rating(s) FY08
Full-Time Employees FY10:  2,094 2 Moody's: Aa3
Part-Time Employees FY10: 106 12 Standard & Poor: AA
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   10.65 3 Fitch:  
updated  2/2/2010