Labor Market Pulse

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Metro Edition

Focus: RESTAURANT

Myrtle Beach wage restraint meets a looming $17 minimum wage threat.

$974

Horry County avg weekly wage

Lowest among SC's 7 large counties, Q1 2026

7.0%

Horry County unemployment (Jan, NSA)

Up 1.5 pts from Jan 2025, seasonal swing

$17.00/hr

Proposed SC minimum wage (SB 3809)

vs current $7.25 federal floor, eff. Jan 2027

2.4% YoY

Metro employment growth

159,700 jobs as of June 2026

This Month's Takeaways

01

Server pay is rising while the rest of the roster holds flat.

Metro Server advertised pay moved up moderately to $32,086 even as Shift Manager and Assistant Manager pay both softened. Consistent with operators shifting retention dollars toward guest-facing roles most exposed to tip-credit debate and traffic sensitivity.

02

Horry County's wage floor keeps labor cost ratios manageable — for now.

At $974 average weekly wage, the county trails every other large South Carolina county, giving restaurant operators more cushion on labor-cost-to-revenue than Charleston-area peers. That advantage erodes if SC Bill 3809's proposed $17.00 state minimum advances toward its January 2027 target.

03

Management pay is softening just as national hiring accelerates.

Restaurant Manager/GM pay held stable locally but Assistant Manager and Shift Manager both moved down in a month when national restaurant payrolls posted their largest single-month gain since January 2023. May suggest local operators are filling supervisory roles from a deeper, more available candidate pool rather than competing on pay.

04

Seasonal volatility, not a cooling market, explains the unemployment jump.

Horry County's unemployment rate climbed 1.5 points to 7.0% in January even as metro-wide employment grew 2.4% year over year through June. Seasonal staffing plans should be built around this swing, not read as a signal of broader demand weakness.

Local Labor Conditions

Myrtle Beach metro employment reached 159,700 in June 2026, up 2.4% year over year, even as Horry County's unweighted January unemployment rate jumped to 7.0% — a gap that signals seasonal tourism-driven volatility rather than genuine slack easing. Horry County's average weekly wage of $974 in Q1 2026 remained the lowest among South Carolina's seven large counties, keeping restaurant labor cost pressure comparatively contained even as national restaurant payrolls posted their largest one-month gain since January 2023.

Leadership & Talent Implications

Local wage restraint gives Myrtle Beach operators more room on labor-cost-to-revenue ratios than peers in Charleston or coastal metros with double-digit compensation growth, but that cushion narrows fast heading into shoulder-season staffing decisions given the county's sharp seasonal unemployment swing. Server pay moving up locally while most other front-of-house and back-of-house roles hold flat suggests operators are already triaging retention spend toward the roles most exposed to tip-credit and minimum-wage scrutiny. Consider reviewing tipped-wage structures now, ahead of any state action on SC Bill 3809, rather than waiting for a mandated floor to force a compensation redesign under time pressure.

Advertised Pay Indicators

Role	P25	Median	P75	Local Trend	National	Nat. Trend
Assistant Restaurant Manager	$26,740	$37,178	$40,000	↓ Moderate decline	$39,000	↓ Moderate decline
Catering Manager	$35,360	$48,561	$55,015	→ Stable	$51,585	→ Stable
Crew	$23,818	$27,040	$29,120	→ Stable	$29,791	→ Stable
Line Cook	$29,120	$34,320	$35,360	→ Stable	$36,702	→ Stable
Restaurant Manager/General Manager	$46,826	$58,854	$64,285	→ Stable	$59,762	↓ Moderate decline
Server	$27,045	$32,086	$34,732	↑ Moderate increase	$34,915	→ Stable
Shift Manager	$26,434	$29,065	$31,297	↓ Moderate decline	$32,649	→ Stable

Some roles reflect state-level data where local metro sample size was insufficient.

Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days

Policy watch

SC Bill 3809 proposes a $17.00 state minimum wage effective January 2027 — a dramatic shift from South Carolina's current status as one of five states without a state minimum. Restaurant operators should model labor cost scenarios now given the scale of change relative to current tipped and non-tipped baselines.

Expected

Florida's minimum wage reaches $15.00 on September 30, 2026, tightening the regional pay comparison set for Myrtle Beach operators competing for coastal tourism labor. Watch whether Grand Strand employers face upward pressure on entry-level FOH pay as workers benchmark against neighboring state rates.

Emerging pressure point

National job openings in food service fell 27% from January to July 2026 and quits declined in parallel, suggesting easing turnover costs industry-wide. Confirm whether this national retention stabilization is showing up locally before scaling back retention-focused pay premiums.

Seasonal inflection

Metro leisure and hospitality employment growth of 0.9% month-over-month reflects peak-season staffing build. Watch September-October payroll data closely for the pace of seasonal drawdown, which will shape shoulder-season scheduling and part-time wage decisions.

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