Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · October 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA — October 2026
Myrtle Beach jobs grow 3.6% while county wages lag the state.
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach posted 3.6% year-over-year employment growth, yet Horry County's $974 average weekly wage remains the lowest among South Carolina's major counties and unemployment sits at 4.8%, above the state's 4.0% rate.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro employment growth: 3.6% YoY — Among strongest smaller-metro gains nationally
- Horry County unemployment: 4.8% — vs 4.0% SC, 3.2% Charleston metro
- Horry County avg weekly wage: $974 — Lowest among SC's largest counties, Q1 2026
- SC statewide unemployment: 4.0% — Seventh straight monthly decline
Key takeaways
Job growth is outrunning wage growth in Horry County.
Employment rose 3.6% year-over-year while average weekly wages sit at $974 — the lowest among South Carolina's major counties. Growth without matching pay gains typically shows up later as elevated turnover, particularly in tourism and hospitality roles.
County unemployment tells a different story than metro headlines.
Horry County's 4.8% unemployment rate in August runs well above the state's 4.0% and Charleston's 3.2%, suggesting labor supply may be less tight here than top-line metro growth figures imply. HR leaders should weigh local candidate availability separately from statewide tightness narratives.
Compensation Analyst pay signals a local recalibration effort.
Metro median advertised pay for Compensation Analyst climbed to $101,431, edging past the national median of $100,798 and marking a significant increase. Employers appear to be investing in the analytical capacity needed to realign pay structures against the local wage-growth gap.
HR Business Partner pay is diverging sharply from national trend.
Metro median advertised pay of $75,448 trails the national median of $83,900 by roughly 10%, even with a significant local increase this month. That gap may complicate recruiting HRBPs from outside the region or retaining those with multi-market mobility.
Median advertised pay by role — Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst * | $67,168 | $101,431 | $110,390 | Significant increase | $100,798 |
| HR Business Partner | $53,517 | $75,448 | $77,220 | Significant increase | $83,900 |
| Benefits Manager * | $70,350 | $105,695 | $121,500 | Stable | $118,618 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $81,341 | $95,758 | $104,375 | Moderate increase | $95,000 |
| HR Coordinator | $38,220 | $38,963 | $41,042 | Moderate decline | $50,460 |
| Recruiter | $35,680 | $55,455 | $62,881 | Stable | $67,234 |
| Payroll Specialist * | $46,904 | $55,000 | $65,000 | Moderate increase | $61,103 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach employment grew 3.6% year-over-year in September, outpacing both South Carolina and national job growth and marking it among the strongest-performing smaller metros in the country, even as Horry County unemployment sits at 4.8% — above the state's 4.0% rate and well above Charleston's 3.2%. Tourism, healthcare, retail trade and construction continue to anchor hiring demand, but average weekly wages in Horry County remain the lowest among South Carolina's largest counties at $974, creating a structural tension between employment growth and wage competitiveness.
What it means
Rapid job growth paired with below-average wages and elevated county unemployment suggests Myrtle Beach employers are adding headcount in a market where pay has not kept pace with demand, raising retention risk as workers gain more local options without needing to leave the metro. Compensation Analyst advertised pay rose to a metro median of $101,431 — above the national figure — indicating employers are investing in the expertise needed to recalibrate pay structures amid this mismatch. Consider reviewing how advertised pay for frontline and hospitality-adjacent roles compares to the Horry County wage base, since continued growth without wage correction may widen turnover exposure heading into 2026 peak season planning.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Horry County's 4.8% unemployment rate, well above the state average, bears watching as a signal of underlying labor slack that could ease hiring difficulty in frontline and hospitality roles even as headline job growth stays strong.
Worth watching: Average weekly wages of $974 in Horry County remain the lowest among South Carolina's largest counties; any acceleration in local wage growth over the next two reporting cycles would signal employers responding to retention risk ahead of 2026 peak tourism season.
Early indicator: Statewide WARN activity (51 notices, 7,206 employees through October) has concentrated in manufacturing, food & hospitality and transportation — sectors with meaningful Myrtle Beach presence. Monitor whether any filings extend into the Grand Strand labor pool.
Potential inflection point: South Carolina's UI tax rate cuts averaging 34.7% across mid-range classes free up employer budget capacity. Watch whether Myrtle Beach employers redirect savings toward wage adjustments or absorb them as margin relief.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Financial Channel — Myrtle Beach metro employment grew 3.6% year-over-year in September 2026
- SC Department of Employment & Workforce — Horry County unemployment rate of 4.8% in August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Employment and Wages — Horry County average weekly wages of $974 in Q1 2026, lowest among SC's largest counties
- SC Department of Employment & Workforce — South Carolina statewide unemployment rate fell to 4.0% in September 2026
- SC Department of Employment & Workforce / WARN tracker — South Carolina had 51 WARN notices affecting 7,206 employees through October 2026
- SC Department of Employment & Workforce — SC unemployment insurance tax rate classes 2-19 saw 34.7% average cuts from 2025
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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