HORRY COUNTY 5/14/12
Date Formed:  1801 Horry,Horry,Horry,Horry
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
Census Population 1990 144,053 7 Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 125,238 2
Census Population 2000 196,629 6 Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 5,696 3
Census Population 2010 269,291 5 Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 2.1% 3
Population Estimate 2010 270,644 5 Persons Per Square Mile 237.5 11
Population Estimate 2011 276,340 5
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 2010 115,784 5 Personal Income 2010, in thousands $7,743,921 6
Jobs 2009 116,950 5 Per Capita Personal Income  2010 $28,613 23
Jobs 2008 115,784 5 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 72% 23
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1990-2010 2.7% 3 Average Wage Per Job 2010 $30,928 39
Percent Change Jobs 2009-2010 -1.0% 22 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 66% 39
Numeric Change Jobs 2009-2010 -1,166 44 Unemployment Rate 2011 11.5% 24
Tax Data Value Value
Assessed Property 2010 $2,057,616,894 Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 $7,641
County Base Millage Rate 2011 0.0452 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2011 $2,027,486 Local Option Sales Tax  
Net Taxable Sales FY10 $4,950,655,827 Capital Projects Sales Tax 1.0%
Admissions Tax Collected FY10 $8,630,752 School District Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY10 $13,625,656 Transportation Sales Tax 1.0%
County Finance & Employment Data Value
Total Revenues FY10 $357,729,226 Value
Total Expenditures FY10 $296,196,232 Per Capita Revenues FY10 $1,328
General Fund Budget FY12 $130,633,544 Per Capita Expenditures FY10 $1,100
Total Debt Outstanding FY11 $467,721,692 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 $485
Payroll FY12 $63,930,237 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 $1,729
Full-Time Employees FY12 2,154 Credit Rating(s) FY11
Part-Time Employees FY12 120 Moody's: Aa2
Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 8.00 Standard & Poor: AA
Fitch: AA+