Myrtle Beach, SC

The affordability dashboard for Myrtle Beach, SC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes covering 119,080 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $69,714, median home value of $313,749, median rent of $1,364 per month, and 32.0% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,465 per month (studio $1,145, 1BR $1,229, 3BR $1,805, 4BR $2,111). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,344 per year, consuming 15% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 4.5% and poverty 12.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.