Moving to
Little River.

All Little River data Compare Little River

11,771people live here $65,786median household income▼ 19% below US $1,528median rent per monthNear US average $305,800median home valueNear US average

Little River is an unincorporated community in Horry County, SC. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Little River

Little River is an unincorporated community in South Carolina with a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Little River deals with household incomes below the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Growing population

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
High rent burden for renters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Little River compares

Median household income

Little River$65,786

South Carolina avg$69,324

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Little River$1,528

South Carolina avg$1,180

US$1,413

Median home value

Little River$305,800

South Carolina avg$259,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Little River

Based on Little River's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,056

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,120 a year
52% of Little River renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$61,160

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $30,580
Homes cost 4.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,528/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,528 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $305,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $305,800 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

5.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Horry County is 5.2%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Horry County (county-wide)

Safety

254 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Little River doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Horry County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1219/100k · Policed by Horry County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

69%

Work from home

14%

Carpool

13%

Other

3.2%

Walk

0.7%

Public transit

0.2%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 28% below US

26% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

0 public schools inside the boundary

No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Moores Creek National Battlefield (50 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Little River's strongest point is a growing population; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,528/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Little River →·All South Carolina cities →