Retirement Communities in Horry County, South Carolina

CaringScore for Horry County, SC

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in Horry was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose retirement communities in Horry.

A CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 5, Horry is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for Horry. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Horry County, SC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Horry, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for Horry is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 5.4, Horry is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 163.7 physicians per capita, Horry trails the national average by 25.8 percent. Horry scores 100.0 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.6, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 17.8. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Horry is 76.8 years -- 1.4 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Horry -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 2.4 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Horry's environmental health -- trails the national average by 49.1 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Horry County, SC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	163.7	220.5
Geriatricians	2.6	1.3
Cardiologists	6.7	7.7
Oncologists	1.5	3.5
Orthopedists	7.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Horry County, SC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Horry, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for retirement communities. The CostScore for Horry is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 5.3, Horry is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Horry. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of retirement communities in Horry to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Horry is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 3.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 90 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Horry County, SC
Aggregate Index	98
Healthcare Index	103
Housing Index	90
Food Index	105
Utilities Index	112
Transportation Index	91

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Horry County, SC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Horry. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for Horry is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4, Horry rates below average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 214 days each year in Horry, 4.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 36°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Horry than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 90°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Horry is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 125.0 percent higher than average. At $44,112 per year, the population of Horry earns a lower than average median household income. Horry has an unemployment rate of 11.10 percent, roughly 22.0 percent higher than the national average. And about 17.65 percent of the population in Horry is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 34.1 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Horry	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.2	136.1
Libraries	4.2	18.8
Places of Worship	118	220.5
Public Transit	1.4	110.4
Grocery Stores	137.7	97.7
Pharmacies	16.3	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65