SC city fastest growing for retirees in US. Here’s why it beat out Florida as best place

Retirees who have an active lifestyle have made Myrtle Beach one of their top spots in the U.S. to live.

Myrtle Beach ranks No. 2 out of 175 locations where the most active retirees live, according to a survey by MarketBeat , a financial media company.

It comes in behind Lihue, Hawaii, and beat out several cities in Florida, which is generally known as a retiree hot spot.

The survey said that Myrtle Beach is renowned for “its beautiful coastline and lively community.” Retirees can enjoy walks along the beach, explore parks and trails and go to a variety of community events and festivals .

In addition, Myrtle Beach has varied housing, fishing and many golf courses.

Older adults, including retirees, have continued to make their way to the Myrtle Beach area.

The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach area had the fastest growing population of older adults in the country during the last three years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .

The area saw a 23.1% increase, or 107,430, in those people ages 65 and older from April 2020 through July 2023. The Myrtle Beach area is also the second-fastest growing U.S. metro area in total population between 2020 to 2023.

During that same time period, the Myrtle Beach area was also among the top five metro areas in the country for the fastest growth of ages 14 to 64, identified as the working-age population.

Other cities on the list are:

1. Lihue, Hawaii

2. Myrtle Beach

3. Kapa’a, Hawaii

4. Punta Gorda, Flordia

5. Naples, Florida

6. Carmel-by-the-sea, California

7. Gatlinburg, Tennessee

8. Los Angeles, California

9. Santa Barbara, California

10. Vero Beach, Florida.