Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · South Carolina

Grocery stores in Horry County, SC

The grocery stores in Horry County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #854 of 2,070 scored counties
#19 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
116
68 chain locations (59%)
Official establishments
76
+15.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$919.3M
On groceries · $5,790 a household
Spending per listing
$7.9M
15% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.3
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
427,551
+20.9% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Horry County

The site report maps the grocery stores on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $5,790 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Horry County spend about $919.3M a year on groceries. That works out to $7.9M per store, 15% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

Horry County has 116 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 68 of them (59%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.3 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Horry County was 76 in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,089 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Horry County from 2020 to 2025 at +20.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Horry County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #854 of 2,070 scored counties and #19 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina.

How Horry County compares

The same measures for South Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Grocery stores in Horry County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureHorry CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.36.86.8
Spending per listing$7.9M$8.7M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2,0892,3252,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.2%+6.4%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+20.9%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,790$5,910$6,319
Median household income$66,880$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score5549

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
66 → 76+15.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,751
Annual payroll, 2023
$126.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
11668 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
99The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Horry County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Horry County

Population, 2025 estimate
427,551+20.9% since 2020
Households
158,779
Median age
47.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,133 sq. mi.
People per square mile
338
Median household income
$66,880+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,740
Median home value
$287,700
Jobs located here
142,324
Daytime population
375,675Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Horry County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the grocery stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery stores across South Carolina

Every South Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for grocery stores, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Horry County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Berkeley County, SC79515.4$11.4M+18.7%#221 of 2,070
2York County, SC77595.2$12.4M+8.1%#250 of 2,070
3Aiken County, SC77375.3$11.2M+7.3%#256 of 2,070
4Dorchester County, SC76375.9$10.5M+10.1%#279 of 2,070
5Kershaw County, SC74124.5$13.1M+11.6%#315 of 2,070
6Spartanburg County, SC72675.1$11.4M+15.6%#356 of 2,070
7Pickens County, SC72275.2$11M+5.7%#357 of 2,070
8Anderson County, SC70485.7$10.1M+7.7%#415 of 2,070
9Richland County, SC67945.6$10.4M+4.6%#484 of 2,070
10Edgefield County, SC6677.2$8.1M+16.1%#532 of 2,070
19Horry County, SC551167.3$7.9M+20.9%#854 of 2,070

Other business types in Horry County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Horry County, SC?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 116 grocery stores in Horry County. 68 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Horry County, SC spend on groceries?

About $919.3M a year, or $5,790 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 116 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.9M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 158,779 households in Horry County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Horry County, SC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Horry County has 7.3 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.9M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Horry County would have about 99, against 116 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,089 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Horry County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Horry County at 427,551 people in 2025, up 20.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 158,779 households. The median household income in Horry County is $66,880 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Horry County scores 55 for grocery stores (upper middle), #854 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Horry County. It maps the grocery stores on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for grocery stores · All 56 business types in Horry County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Horry County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.