{"schema_version": 1, "id": "myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 358, "label": "Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA", "slug": "myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:53:30.304550+00:00", "headline": "Myrtle Beach jobs grow fastest in the state, wages stay lowest.", "headline_summary": "Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach posted 3.6% year-over-year job growth, outpacing South Carolina's 2.3% statewide rate, even as Horry County's $974 average weekly wage remains the lowest among the state's major counties.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro employment growth", "value": "3.6% YoY", "context": "vs 2.3% statewide, 0.1% national"}, {"label": "Horry County unemployment", "value": "4.8%", "context": "vs 4.0% SC average, 4.1% national"}, {"label": "Horry County avg weekly wage", "value": "$974", "context": "Lowest among SC's largest counties, Q1 2026"}, {"label": "SC labor force size", "value": "2.68M", "context": "Record high, fastest-growing in U.S. in 2026"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Metro job growth is outrunning the state's already strong pace.", "body": "3.6% year-over-year employment growth in September roughly doubles South Carolina's 2.3% statewide rate, placing Myrtle Beach among the nation's fastest-growing smaller metros. That divergence is a quotable data point for press coverage of the regional economy's trajectory heading into 2027."}, {"headline": "Elevated local unemployment paired with fast job growth reflects labor force expansion.", "body": "Horry County's 4.8% August unemployment rate sits well above the state's 4.0% even as payrolls expand 3.6% annually, a pattern consistent with in-migration and labor force expansion outpacing immediate absorption. Government economists tracking labor force participation should watch whether this gap narrows or persists into winter."}, {"headline": "Wage levels remain the region's lowest among major SC counties.", "body": "Horry County's $974 average weekly wage trails every other large South Carolina county, even with 3.4% year-over-year wage growth. That cost position is a relevant input for commerce and economic development leaders framing the metro's competitiveness for business attraction."}, {"headline": "Advertised pay is sliding in several frontline occupations even as employment expands.", "body": "Food service worker pay fell significantly and customer service and delivery driver pay softened locally this month, diverging from stable-to-rising national trends in those same roles. That pattern may suggest softening employer urgency in tourism-adjacent and service occupations even as headline job counts climb."}], "local_conditions": "Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach posted 3.6% year-over-year employment growth in September, among the strongest showings of any metro its size nationally, even as local unemployment registered 4.4%-4.8% across available May and August readings, both above the 4.0% statewide rate. Growth continues to track the metro's tourism, healthcare, retail, and construction base, while South Carolina's labor force hit a record 2.68 million statewide, suggesting the metro is drawing workers even as local joblessness measures stay elevated relative to Charleston (3.2%) and the state average.", "implications": "Rapid payroll growth alongside a higher local unemployment rate than the state as a whole is consistent with an expanding labor pool \u2014 a signal for economic development officials that worker availability may be less constrained here than headlines about a tight national labor market suggest. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or relocation decisions should treat Horry County's $974 average weekly wage, the lowest among South Carolina's major counties, alongside 4.1% national unemployment as a competitive-cost data point. Consider evaluating how the metro's wage-cost position relative to Charleston and Greenville factors into site-selection and workforce-development messaging this cycle.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Horry County's unemployment rate (4.8% in August) converges toward the statewide 4.0% over the next two reporting cycles, or whether the gap signals a structurally larger labor pool relative to job creation."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Seasonal tourism employment typically softens through the winter shoulder season; a sharper-than-usual pullback in leisure and hospitality job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), would be a meaningful read on consumer demand heading into 2027."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National WARN filings remain elevated (3,860 notices through late October) with manufacturing and logistics prominent; any comparable filings in the Myrtle Beach-Conway corridor would be the first local test of that national trend."}, {"category": "Policy to monitor", "body": "Federal labor force growth continues to slow amid demographic and immigration-policy factors cited in national data; state economists should track whether South Carolina's record labor force growth (fastest in the nation in 2026) continues to offset that national headwind locally."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 23400.0, "metro_p50": 29120.0, "metro_p75": 31720.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 22880.0, "metro_p50": 26423.2, "metro_p75": 28600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29220.0, "metro_p50": 34320.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48531.0, "metro_p50": 70200.0, "metro_p75": 84214.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28809.0, "metro_p50": 32467.0, "metro_p75": 34956.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32895.5, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52000.0, "metro_p50": 62530.0, "metro_p75": 67600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29120.0, "metro_p50": 30883.0, "metro_p75": 32081.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33223.0, "metro_p50": 35396.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26740.0, "metro_p50": 27462.0, "metro_p75": 30940.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31793.0, "metro_p50": 37033.0, "metro_p75": 38397.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 37071.6, "metro_p75": 40000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52000.0, "metro_p50": 68994.0, "metro_p75": 75000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 76189.0, "metro_p50": 87104.0, "metro_p75": 95428.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 132197.5, "metro_p50": 142168.6, "metro_p75": 149677.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 99179.0, "metro_p50": 137912.0, "metro_p75": 155363.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54355.0, "metro_p50": 57718.0, "metro_p75": 62232.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 65442.0, "metro_p50": 73151.0, "metro_p75": 82500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 49193.75, "metro_p50": 59084.0, "metro_p75": 60453.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38952.0, "metro_p50": 58567.8, "metro_p75": 60604.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 74879.0, "metro_p50": 82540.0, "metro_p75": 82955.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35753.75, "metro_p50": 55714.4, "metro_p75": 60209.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 57552.25, "metro_p50": 79819.0, "metro_p75": 88803.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 60072.0, "metro_p50": 78053.0, "metro_p75": 78053.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 72756.0, "metro_p50": 89500.0, "metro_p75": 101689.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 60276.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 62497.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 34195.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 41809.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 70720.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 51844.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 46800.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 63440.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 32240.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66461.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [{"source_name": "Financial Channel / BLS", "source_url": null, "statement": "Myrtle Beach metro recorded 3.6% year-over-year employment growth in September 2026"}, {"source_name": "SC Department of Employment & Workforce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Horry County unemployment at 4.8% in August 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Employment and Wages", "source_url": null, "statement": "Horry County average weekly wage of $974 in Q1 2026, lowest among major SC counties"}, {"source_name": "SC Department of Employment & Workforce", "source_url": null, "statement": "South Carolina labor force reached record 2,679,964 in September 2026"}, {"source_name": "SC Department of Employment & Workforce", "source_url": null, "statement": "South Carolina statewide employment grew 2.3% year-over-year through September"}, {"source_name": "LayoffAlert / WARN Act tracker", "source_url": null, "statement": "3,860 WARN notices filed nationally affecting 340,316 employees through Oct. 26, 2026"}], "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.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:26:47.545444+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/myrtle-beach-conway-north-myrtle-beach-sc-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}