Property Tax in Horry County, South Carolina
Homeowners in Horry County, South Carolina pay a median of $879 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $260,500. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Horry County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $879 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Horry County, and $260,500 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for Horry County is 0.34% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
The key figures for Horry County
| Measure | Horry County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $879 |
| Median home value | $260,500 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.34% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $73 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $337 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $1,348 |
For context, the South Carolina medians are $1,199 of tax on $236,700 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Horry County at a glance
- Median tax rank in South Carolina: #19 of 46 counties
- Median home value rank in South Carolina: #10 of 46
- Population rank in South Carolina: #4 of 46 (368,937 residents)
- Population density rank: #8 of 46 (326 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in South Carolina: #1 of 46 (1,133 sq mi, 3.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $73; per $1,000 of home value: $0.34
How Horry County compares
The median tax bill in Horry County is about 27% lower than the state median ($1,199 for South Carolina) and about 70% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #19 out of 46 South Carolina counties with published Census data — 18 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Horry County's derived rate of 0.34% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Horry County: the median bill works out to about $73 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $337 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 368,937 people — the #4 most populous county in South Carolina, spread over 1,133 square miles, a density of about 326 people per square mile. Its median home value, $260,500, ranks #10 among the state's 46 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 2534 record a higher median tax bill than Horry County — it sits in the top 81% nationally. The county holds roughly 7.1% of South Carolina's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $260,500 versus $236,700), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.34% adds up to about 3.37% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Marion County, medians $397 — $482 less than Horry County per year.
Counties nearest Horry County in the South Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kershaw County, SC | $937 | $191,900 | 0.49% |
| Colleton County, SC | $883 | $145,900 | 0.60% |
| Edgefield County, SC | $877 | $194,300 | 0.45% |
| Aiken County, SC | $862 | $199,500 | 0.43% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Horry County's derived rate of 0.34%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $1,348 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Checking your assessment in Horry County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Horry County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
More South Carolina counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Horry County, South Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Horry County, South Carolina is $879 per year, on a median home value of $260,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Horry County, South Carolina?
Dividing Horry County's median tax bill ($879) by its median home value ($260,500) gives a derived effective rate of 0.34%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Horry County compare with the rest of South Carolina?
Horry County ranks #19 of 46 South Carolina counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $879 is about 27% lower than the South Carolina median of $1,199.
How are property taxes calculated in Horry County, South Carolina?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Horry County is $879 of tax on a $260,500 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Horry County, South Carolina?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Horry County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.