Jobs, pay and daily life in Garden City, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Garden City is a city in South Carolina with 11,591 residents. The median household earns $47,249 a year and the median rent is $1,472 a month, which is 37.4% of the median household income. It is part of the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC metropolitan area, where BLS counts 146,260 jobs.
How Garden City compares. Among the 80 largest places in South Carolina, Garden City is #57 by population, #5 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #67 for household income (#1 = highest), #61 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Horry County, is #39 of 46 counties for average pay ($48,046).
Garden City has 11,591 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of South Carolina. It covers 5 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,169 people per square mile. The median age is 62.2, 55% older than the state median (62.2 against 40.2). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,472 a month (rent plus utilities), 25% above the state median ($1,472 against $1,180). Over a year that is 37.4% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so rent here is above that line for the typical household. The median home value is $217,400, which is 4.6 times the median household income ($47,249). 85.4% of households own their home, 19% above the state average (85.4% against 71.9%).
The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC metropolitan area has 146,260 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $37,930 a year, 26% below the national median ($37,930 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are food preparation and serving related (25,580 jobs, median $28,250); sales and related (20,490 jobs, median $33,180); office and administrative support (17,090 jobs, median $38,920). The area is most specialised in food preparation and serving related (2.0 times) and sales and related (1.6 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($95,190) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($78,410). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Horry County was 4.2%. 41.9% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Horry County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 80.8% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 0.2% walk, 13.0% work from home. 10.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 31% below the state average (10.1% against 14.7%).
22.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 31% below the state share (22.2% against 32.1%). 2.3% of residents were born outside the United States, 59% below the state share (2.3% against 5.8%). The poverty rate is 17.7%, 26% above the state rate (17.7% against 14.1%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 81°F (27.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 53°F (11.6°C). About 1,449 mm (57 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Aug is the wettest month (189 mm) and Jan the driest (69 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Murrells Inlet (4 miles, rent 19% higher); Socastee (7 miles, rent 15% lower); Litchfield Beach (10 miles, rent 16% higher); Myrtle Beach (11 miles, rent 14% lower). Rent differences are against Garden City; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in South Carolina (373) →State guide: South CarolinaCountry guideHorry CountySouth Carolina rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 373 federal postings open in South Carolina (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in South Carolina →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 7,780 | 2.12 | $29,320 | $22,190 | $44,740 | -17% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 6,390 | 2.99 | $17,350 | $15,080 | $46,150 | -51% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 5,200 | 1.43 | $27,600 | $22,280 | $34,130 | -12% |
| Cashiers | 4,710 | 1.62 | $27,850 | $21,210 | $35,330 | -15% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 3,420 | 2.58 | $35,190 | $27,910 | $42,530 | -6% |
| Registered Nurses | 3,150 | 0.99 | $80,640 | $66,250 | $100,380 | -17% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 3,000 | 1.13 | $35,390 | $28,720 | $46,290 | -5% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,950 | 1.21 | $36,510 | $27,440 | $57,040 | -18% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,510 | 1.08 | $36,190 | $18,000 | $54,900 | -20% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,290 | 0.82 | $35,530 | $28,250 | $43,780 | -12% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 2,190 | 1.90 | $39,080 | $27,490 | $60,010 | -11% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,110 | 0.64 | $87,260 | $50,980 | $181,950 | -18% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 2,080 | 1.44 | $38,770 | $29,310 | $58,140 | -22% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 2,000 | 1.90 | $46,350 | $28,510 | $75,900 | -4% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,960 | 1.01 | $46,360 | $37,960 | $60,190 | -21% |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,930 | 2.39 | $29,690 | $22,740 | $36,130 | -16% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,920 | 0.47 | $29,730 | $23,120 | $34,340 | -17% |
| Bartenders | 1,800 | 2.53 | $17,420 | $15,080 | $49,620 | -49% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,790 | 0.86 | $30,250 | $21,360 | $38,720 | -18% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,770 | 1.10 | $40,490 | $28,030 | $58,670 | -15% |
These figures are for the whole Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $37,930 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.2% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 23.4% |
| Retail trade | 18.4% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 15.9% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 14.1% |
| Construction | 7.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 7.6% |
| Other services | 3.8% |
| Manufacturing | 3.5% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.3% |
| Information | 1.8% |
| Public administration | 1.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.0% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Garden City lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horry County | 383,016 | $22,774 million | $59,461 | 144,489 | 12,484 | $48,046 | +2.4% | 4.2% | 185,328 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 31,021 | 24.9% | $28,114 | 2.36 |
| Retail trade | 26,179 | 21.0% | $35,857 | 1.81 |
| Health care and social assistance | 15,351 | 12.3% | $64,370 | 0.74 |
| Construction | 9,218 | 7.4% | $63,874 | 1.22 |
| Administrative and waste services | 8,525 | 6.8% | $46,421 | 1.00 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 5,282 | 4.2% | $27,072 | 2.17 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,932 | 4.0% | $75,859 | 0.49 |
| Real estate and rental | 4,286 | 3.4% | $48,870 | 1.91 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,752 | 3.0% | $38,927 | 0.86 |
| Manufacturing | 3,398 | 2.7% | $58,055 | 0.29 |
| Finance and insurance | 3,375 | 2.7% | $85,346 | 0.58 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,817 | 2.3% | $65,158 | 0.49 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,617 | 2.1% | $47,127 | 0.43 |
| Information | 1,708 | 1.4% | $77,017 | 0.63 |
| Educational services | 814 | 0.7% | $35,386 | 0.27 |
| Management of companies | 530 | 0.4% | $97,221 | 0.22 |
| Utilities | 441 | 0.4% | $73,177 | 0.80 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 211 | 0.2% | $55,997 | 0.18 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 70 | 0.1% | $152,174 | 0.13 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 80.8% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 0.2% |
| Work from home | 13.0% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 10.1% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,249 |
| Income per person | $45,274 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,472 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 37.4% |
| Median home value | $217,400 |
| Homeowners | 85.4% |
| Poverty rate | 17.7% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 93.6 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $37,930 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 6.00%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 62.2 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 91.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 22.2% |
| Born abroad | 2.3% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 41.9% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.6 | 53 | 69 |
| Feb | 12.5 | 54 | 94 |
| Mar | 14.9 | 59 | 95 |
| Apr | 18.4 | 65 | 83 |
| May | 22.4 | 72 | 107 |
| Jun | 26.0 | 79 | 148 |
| Jul | 27.4 | 81 | 176 |
| Aug | 27.3 | 81 | 189 |
| Sep | 25.5 | 78 | 172 |
| Oct | 21.5 | 71 | 118 |
| Nov | 16.7 | 62 | 92 |
| Dec | 13.8 | 57 | 106 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murrells Inlet | SC | 4 mi | 10,044 | $77,438 | $1,751 |
| Socastee | SC | 7 mi | 23,796 | $62,257 | $1,246 |
| Litchfield Beach | SC | 10 mi | 9,044 | $76,351 | $1,704 |
| Myrtle Beach | SC | 11 mi | 38,371 | $60,394 | $1,261 |
| Red Hill | SC | 13 mi | 15,920 | $68,250 | $1,179 |
| Carolina Forest | SC | 13 mi | 26,263 | $74,436 | $1,668 |
| Conway | SC | 17 mi | 27,263 | $56,650 | $866 |
| Georgetown | SC | 22 mi | 8,565 | $56,981 | $780 |
| North Myrtle Beach | SC | 24 mi | 19,855 | $72,722 | $1,263 |
| Little River | SC | 29 mi | 11,771 | $65,786 | $1,528 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
11,591 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,472 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 37.4% of the median household income.
$47,249 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.2% (BLS county, Horry County (latest month 2026M09)).
South Carolina. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.