Horry County leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Horry County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Horry County, ~26% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Horry County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Horry County is the most Republican-leaning.
Horry County runs about 12 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Horry County. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+48), a spread of about 49 points.
Why Horry County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Horry County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Horry County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 55%, far above the South Carolina average of 24%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Horry County, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Horry County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Horry County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 63%, above 67% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Georgetown County, SC R+17
- Marion County, SC D+17
- Columbus County, NC R+27
- Brunswick County, NC R+29
- Williamsburg County, SC D+26
- Dillon County, SC R+5
- Florence County, SC Even
- Bladen County, NC R+17
- Robeson County, NC R+13
- New Hanover County, NC D+5
Counties with Similar Populations
- Galveston County, TX R+13
- Nueces County, TX R+4
- Hamilton County, IN R+5
- Westmoreland County, PA R+26
- Marion County, OR D+3
- Somerset County, NJ D+15
- Douglas County, CO R+7
- Larimer County, CO D+16
- Rutherford County, TN R+16
- Davis County, UT R+24
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.