Census-designated place · Georgetown County, South Carolina

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina

Litchfield Beach is a census-designated place in Georgetown County, South Carolina, part of the Murrells Inlet, SC metro area. It has 9,044 residents. Litchfield Beach, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 56 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,824 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #41 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), loneliness (low) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), injury deaths (high) and premature death (high).

56Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,824 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #41 of 268 in SC
Population: 9,044 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 805.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4541830

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety12#13,800/15,637
Economy50#7,761/15,631
Housing41#8,829/14,977
Health56#6,932/15,609
Healthcare46#8,528/15,650
Environment45#8,423/15,453
Education66#5,332/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,124/15,650
Community85#2,425/15,651
Leisure & amenities93#1,061/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Litchfield Beach, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Georgetown County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Restaurants and bars · high18.4 /10k
98/100South Carolina 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGeorgetown County value
Loneliness · low28.4%
97/100South Carolina 32.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Comfortable days · high34.3%
94/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGeorgetown County value
Social associations · high16.0 /10k
94/100South Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGeorgetown County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.8 /10k
93/100South Carolina 5.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGeorgetown County value
Pharmacies · high2.7 /10k
93/100South Carolina 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGeorgetown County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high98.2
2/100South Carolina 51.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencyGeorgetown County value
Injury deaths · high137 /100k
7/100South Carolina 111 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGeorgetown County value
Premature death · high13,443 /100k
7/100South Carolina 10,517 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGeorgetown County value
Child poverty rate · high29.1%
9/100South Carolina 18.1%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Homicide rate · high9.0 /100k
10/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataGeorgetown County value
Job growth · low-2.4%
10/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGeorgetown County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.6% (2016-2020) → 6.1% (2020-2024)
−13 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%
Poverty rateImproving
17.1% (2016-2020) → 8.5% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
8.8% (2016-2020) → 1.6% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$63,911 (2016-2020) → $76,351 (2020-2024)
+19%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.3× (2016-2020) → 6.0× (2020-2024)
+14%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
94.5% (2016-2020) → 97.0% (2020-2024)
+2.5 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.5% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Litchfield Beach, South Carolina over five years.

Cities and towns like Litchfield Beach, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Litchfield Beach, South Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Litchfield Beach, South Carolina five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,044 residents (±698)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

9,044 residents (±698)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White89%8,092
Black3.9%†352
Hispanic or Latino4.0%†366

Education

7,616 residents (±604)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma3.0%†231
High school or GED16%†1,212
Some college20%1,544

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,468 households (±405)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k12%515
$25k–50k12%519
$50k–75k24%1,080
$75k–100k14%†635
$100k–150k16%723
$150k–200k8.9%397
$200k or more13%599

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,468 households (±405)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own83%3,725
Rent17%743

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

723 households (±210)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $7507.9%†57
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50013%†94

Home values

3,725 homes (±378)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k5.0%†187
$150k–250k9.2%†343
$250k–400k24%†897

Age of homes

7,000 homes (±507)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later16%1,154
2000–200929%2,018
1980–199940%2,811
1960–1979

Size of homes

7,000 homes (±507)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio0.9%†60
1 bedroom1.1%†79
2 bedrooms23%1,624

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,999 workers (±466)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone70%2,105
Carpool5.4%†162
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.0%†59
Bike0.0%0
Work from home19%†572
Other3.4%†101

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,427 workers (±473)

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min38%916
15–29 min35%†843
30–44 min15%†376

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Murrells Inlet, SC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Georgetown County, the county holding most of Litchfield Beach's residents.

Georgetown County has 2,038 employer establishments, 310 for every 10,000 residents (1.25× the US rate of 248; 1.36× South Carolina's), with 22,113 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,715. The Census Bureau also counts 6,473 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,038; 6,473 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 310; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 22,113
Average annual pay: $47,715; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Georgetown County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	239	36.3	1.74×More than typical	2,091	$74,237	296
Restaurants and other eating places	162	24.6	1.34×More than typical	3,415	$25,570	42
Lessors of real estate	119	18.1	1.47×More than typical	629	$43,420	1,009
Specialty trade contractors	115	17.5	1.13×About typical	764	$49,575	431
Offices of physicians	109	16.6	2.56×More than typical	518	$142,183	86
Full-service restaurants	102	15.5	2.02×More than typical	2,579	$27,560	24
Religious organizations	81	12.3	2.22×More than typical	497	$25,958	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	74	11.2	1.67×More than typical	545	$36,106	552
Construction of buildings	70	10.6	1.41×More than typical	260	$57,715	146
Real estate agents and brokers	66	10	2.06×More than typical	126	$52,937	266
Legal services	55	8.4	1.55×More than typical	298	$71,829	55
Clothing and accessories stores	48	7.3	2.01×More than typical	238	$21,912	63

Rank places for an industry Open Georgetown County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 65,808 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $207K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina: $22.89 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $207K; +63% vs FY2025
Per resident: $22.89; US $2,007
Sole-source: 75%; US 30%
Single offer: 10.0%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Housing and Urban Development$155.8K75%
Department of State$45.8K22%
Department of the Air Force$4,8002.3%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$6720.3%

Top recipients

NATIVE AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS LLC$155.8K75%
GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS LLC$16.7K8.1%
CITY ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY$12.4K6.0%
FEDDATA TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, LLC$11.3K5.5%
REGENCY CONSULTING INC$3,8641.9%

Spending by fiscal year

6.4MFY2017
3.9MFY2018
4MFY2019
4.1MFY2020
2.3MFY2021
1.8MFY2022
985.5KFY2023
1.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$155.8K75%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$34.1K16%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$12.4K6.0%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$2,5681.2%
Printing and related support activities · 3231$9200.4%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Georgetown County, SC ($1.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 13% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Litchfield Beach is mostly in Georgetown County.

See federal money in Georgetown County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Litchfield Beach, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Russell FryR-SC-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Georgetown County48100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Murrells Inlet, SC54

Other cities and towns in Georgetown County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4541830

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Litchfield Beach, South Carolina five years ago that improved