Who Should NOT Move to Myrtle Beach?
Myrtle Beach is a poor fit for an equally identifiable set of movers: anyone highly risk-averse to hurricane/coastal-flood exposure or rising insurance costs, anyone needing a diversified, non-seasonal local job market, anyone whose household income must match the local (not national) cost structure closely, and anyone assuming a no-income-tax setup like several Sun Belt peers.
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Learn moreAnyone Highly Risk-Averse to Hurricane and Coastal-Flood Exposure
As detailed on the flood-hurricane-risk topic page, this is a real, historically severe, and ongoing risk -- Hurricane Hazel (1954) destroyed more than 80% of Grand Strand oceanfront property, Hurricane Matthew (2016) passed directly over the city, and Hurricane Florence (2018) re-flooded many of the same homes two years later. Anyone who cannot accept genuine hurricane-season risk (June-November) or the associated rising insurance costs (South Carolina already 16th-most-expensive nationally, Horry County facing a projected 90% premium increase over the next decade) should weigh this seriously before relocating to the immediate coast.
Anyone Needing a Diversified, Non-Seasonal Local Job Market
Leisure and hospitality alone account for 26.7% of metro nonfarm jobs -- a genuinely, structurally tourism-dependent employment base rather than a diversified metro economy. Anyone whose career depends on a specific, less-tourism-adjacent industry not well represented locally (heavy manufacturing, large-scale corporate headquarters, major finance, aerospace/defense at the scale seen in some other metros covered in this project) should weigh this real structural limitation honestly before assuming local employment options match a diversified major metro.
Anyone Whose Household Income Must Closely Match Myrtle Beach's Local Wage Base
Myrtle Beach's city-level median household income ($53,679) runs well below Horry County ($64,623), South Carolina ($66,818), and the U.S. ($78,538). Anyone relocating specifically for local employment (rather than bringing outside/remote income, a pension, or investment income) should weigh this real income gap honestly against below-national-average home prices -- the housing may be affordable in national terms while still representing a real stretch relative to what a Myrtle Beach-based local job actually pays.
Anyone Specifically Seeking a No-Income-Tax State
South Carolina's Act 110 (2026) meaningfully lowered and simplified the state's income tax structure (two brackets, 1.99%/5.21%), but it remains a real, structural income tax -- not a no-income-tax setup like Texas, Tennessee, or Florida. Anyone relocating specifically to eliminate state income tax exposure entirely should weigh South Carolina against those genuinely no-tax alternatives rather than assume all Sun Belt-adjacent states share the same tax profile.
Anyone Highly Sensitive to Below-Average Safety Ratings, Without Weighing the Tourist-Town Caveat
CrimeGrade.org's D- overall grade (11th percentile) is a real, disclosed data point that should factor into a relocation decision -- while also weighing the genuine tourist-town-denominator caveat detailed on the crime-safety topic page. Anyone who cannot accept either the raw grade itself, or the added complexity of interpreting it against a small resident base and a massive seasonal visitor population, should weigh this honestly.
Key takeaways
- Anyone highly risk-averse to hurricane/coastal-flood exposure or rising insurance costs -- the area's hurricane history (Hazel, Matthew, Florence) is real and historically severe, and SC insurance costs are already elevated and rising.
- Anyone needing a diversified, non-seasonal local job market -- leisure and hospitality account for 26.7% of metro jobs, a genuinely different structure than a diversified major metro.
- Anyone relocating for local (not outside/remote/pension) income should weigh the real gap between Myrtle Beach's city-level median household income ($53,679) and the county/state/national figures.
- Anyone specifically seeking a no-income-tax state -- South Carolina's 2026 tax overhaul lowered rates but remains a real, structural income tax, not a no-tax setup like Texas, Tennessee, or Florida.
- Anyone highly sensitive to below-average safety ratings without weighing the real, disclosed tourist-town-denominator caveat behind Myrtle Beach's D- CrimeGrade.org grade.
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