NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC

Metro Market Score 77.7 (Difficult), ranked #371 of 378 metros. 1,808 establishments, 26,179 jobs.

Metro Market Score 77.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national retail trade average.

🏭Industry Hub⚡Rising Wages

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach is a specialized hub for retail trade, with a location quotient of 1.81 and industry concentration in the bottom 10%. Higher-than-average firm density means more competition for talent and customers, but also a deeper local supply chain and client pool.

Industry Concentration

100.0

LQ: 1.81

Rank #378 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

30.9

$35,857 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 1.6

Employment growth index

Rank #373 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

77.2

YoY wage change index

1,808 Retail Trade Firms in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

1,808

Establishments

-20.5% YoY

26,179

Total Employment

-19.3% YoY

$35,857

Average Annual Wage

+3.0% YoY

1.81

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within South Carolina

#8 of 8

retail trade metros in state

South Carolina state rank

#30 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+16.9

worse than median (60.8)

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #30/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach	SC Statewide
Overall Score	77.7 Difficult	44.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#371 of 378 metros	#30 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

Other Services 50.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 56.1 Finance and Insurance 57.8 Construction 60.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 64.2 Information 64.8 Administrative and Support Services 72.8 Accommodation and Food Services 86.3

Retail Trade in Other South Carolina Metros

Spartanburg 34.1 #17/378 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 43.1 #72/378 Charleston-North Charleston 49.4 #127/378 Columbia 49.6 #130/378 Sumter 60.8 #266/378 Florence 61.9 #275/378 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 62.9 #286/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach's 77.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Pittsfield, MA 77.0 #370/378 Salisbury, MD 78.6 #372/378 Coeur d'Alene, ID 78.6 #373/378 Medford, OR 78.9 #374/378 Great Falls, MT 78.9 #375/378 Youngstown-Warren, OH 75.8 #369/378 Glens Falls, NY 75.8 #368/378 Kahului-Wailuku, HI 79.9 #376/378 Eugene-Springfield, OR 75.4 #367/378 Ogden, UT 74.6 #366/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering South Carolina

State-level entry risk for retail trade in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

North Carolina 43.4 #25/51 Georgia 47.5 #38/51

Browse Retail Trade in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for retail trade across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (98.4) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment