Myrtle Beach leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Myrtle Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Myrtle Beach, ~29% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Myrtle Beach compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Myrtle Beach leans more Republican than 6 of 32 neighbors.
Myrtle Beach runs about 6 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Myrtle Beach. The northwest side is the most split-leaning (R+36) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Myrtle Beach leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Myrtle Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Myrtle Beach votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 70%, far above the South Carolina average of 24%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Myrtle Beach, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Myrtle Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Myrtle Beach 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 64%, above 65% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Socastee, SC R+31
- Surfside Beach, SC R+29
- Ocean Forest, SC R+46
- Red Hill, SC R+19
- Garden City, SC R+30
- Bucksville, SC R+57
- Nixonville, SC R+48
- Murrells Inlet, SC R+37
- Conway, SC R+31
- Briarcliffe Acres, SC R+27
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lake Charles, LA R+6
- Beaumont, TX D+25
- Clearwater, FL R+3
- Norman, OK D+3
- Carrollton, TX D+8
- Fargo, ND D+3
- Arvada, CO D+15
- Athens, GA D+32
- Springfield, IL D+14
- El Cajon, CA R+11
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.