What business loan options are available in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?

Myrtle Beach small businesses can access SBA financing through the SBA South Carolina District Office, CDFI lending from the SC Community Loan Fund and Charleston LDC, and a commercial lending market shaped by Myrtle Beach's defining pillars: the Grand Strand — approximately 60 miles of Atlantic coastline from Calabash, NC to Georgetown, SC — drawing 14 million or more annual visitors and making tourism and hospitality the dominant SMB economic driver; a growing retirement-driven services economy fueled by Horry County's status as one of the fastest-growing retirement destinations in the United States; a world-class golf economy (90+ courses, hosting one of the nation's densest golf destination concentrations); and a growing healthcare services corridor meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding population. SC Community Loan Fund and Charleston LDC are the primary mission-driven lenders serving underserved SMBs across Horry County and the Grand Strand.

Myrtle Beach small-business landscape

Myrtle Beach anchors the Grand Strand — approximately 60 miles of Atlantic coastline stretching from Calabash, North Carolina to Georgetown, South Carolina — and is one of the most visited beach resort destinations in the United States. Horry County, which encompasses Myrtle Beach and the surrounding communities, is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country by population, driven by a powerful combination of tourism demand, domestic in-migration by retirees and remote workers, and geographic and tax environment advantages. Tourism is the Grand Strand's economic engine: the Myrtle Beach area draws an estimated 14 million or more annual visitors, sustaining an enormous SMB ecosystem of hotels, vacation rentals, condos, campgrounds, restaurants, bars, amusement parks (Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, Family Kingdom), retail and outlet shopping, entertainment venues, miniature golf attractions, beach equipment rentals, watersports operators, and charter fishing services. Golf is a second dominant economic driver: the Grand Strand hosts more than 90 golf courses, making it one of the densest golf destination clusters in the world; the golf economy sustains course operations, equipment retailers, pro shops, golf instruction academies, golf travel agencies, and hotel and resort accommodations serving the dedicated golf tourism segment. Horry County's rapid population growth — driven heavily by retirees relocating from the Northeast and Midwest — has created a fast-growing retirement-driven services economy: healthcare, home health, personal care, senior living, physical therapy, audiology, financial advisory, legal services, and real estate services SMBs are among the fastest-growing categories in the Myrtle Beach market. Healthcare infrastructure has expanded to meet population growth, with Conway Medical Center, Grand Strand Medical Center (HCA Healthcare), and a network of specialty practices, urgent care centers, and ambulatory services meeting the healthcare needs of the area's growing and aging resident population. According to U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns, the Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach MSA (Horry County, SC and Brunswick County, NC) hosts more than 18,000 employer establishments. BLS metro labor data confirms leisure and hospitality, retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, and construction as dominant SMB employer sectors in the Myrtle Beach metro.

Top SMB sectors in Myrtle Beach

Tourism and hospitality (Grand Strand 14M+ visitors) — The Grand Strand's estimated 14 million-plus annual visitors sustain hotels, vacation rental management companies, restaurants, bars, amusement attractions, entertainment venues, retail and outlet shopping, beach equipment and watersports rentals, charter fishing, and event services with high-volume seasonal cash flow and working-capital and equipment-financing demand.
Golf economy (90+ courses) — The Grand Strand's world-class concentration of 90+ golf courses sustains course operations, pro shops, equipment retailers, golf instruction academies, golf travel and package agencies, and resort accommodations serving dedicated golf tourism, with specialized equipment-financing and SBA 7(a) profiles.
Retirement-driven services — Horry County's rapid population growth driven by retiree in-migration from the Northeast and Midwest sustains home health, personal care, senior living, physical therapy, audiology, hearing aid services, financial advisory, estate planning, and real estate services SMBs with growing and durable demand tied to demographic trends.
Healthcare — Grand Strand Medical Center (HCA), Conway Medical Center, and a growing network of specialty practices, urgent care centers, dialysis centers, and ambulatory services sustain a healthcare SMB market with equipment-financing, SBA 7(a), and SBA 504 demand for medical real estate and equipment.
Construction, real estate, and retail — Horry County's status as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties sustains a large construction and real estate services SMB ecosystem — homebuilders, remodelers, landscapers, property managers — alongside retail, restaurants, and personal services serving both visitors and the growing resident population.

SBA District Office serving Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach businesses are served by the SBA South Carolina District Office in Columbia, which administers SBA 7(a), 504, and Microloan programs across South Carolina. The office partners with the South Carolina SBDC network — including SBDC nodes at Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College serving Horry County — and SCORE Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach). The SBA South Carolina District Office works with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Horry County Economic Development, the SC Community Loan Fund, and Charleston LDC on SMB capital access, tourism and hospitality lending, golf and entertainment business financing, retirement services business development, healthcare equipment financing, and construction and real estate services lending across the Grand Strand and Horry County market.

Local CDFI partners

SC Community Loan Fund — U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund-certified CDFI headquartered in Columbia with active statewide South Carolina operations; provides small-business loans, microloans, commercial real estate loans, and business technical assistance to underserved, minority-owned, women-owned, and rural entrepreneurs across South Carolina including Horry County and the Grand Strand; one of the most active CDFIs serving tourism-adjacent and hospitality SMBs in coastal South Carolina.
Charleston LDC (Local Development Corporation) — U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund-certified local development corporation administering SBA 504 loans across South Carolina; structures long-term below-market fixed-rate financing for owner-occupied commercial real estate and major equipment for Myrtle Beach-area businesses in tourism, hospitality, healthcare, and retail sectors.
SBDC at Coastal Carolina University — SBDC node at Coastal Carolina University in Conway serving Horry County and the Grand Strand; provides free business consulting, SBA loan packaging, tourism and hospitality business planning, golf and entertainment business planning, healthcare business planning, and capital access referrals for Myrtle Beach-area entrepreneurs.

Common SMB lender categories for Myrtle Beach businesses

SBA 7(a) loans — up to $5M; working capital, equipment, renovation, business acquisition. Myrtle Beach's tourism, hospitality, golf, healthcare, and personal services SMBs generate strong SBA 7(a) profiles with documented seasonal and year-round consumer cash flow.
SBA 504 loans — up to $5.5M for owner-occupied commercial real estate or major equipment; administered through Charleston LDC; well-suited for Myrtle Beach hotel and lodging property acquisitions, restaurant real estate, medical practice real estate, golf course capital improvements, and retail property investments in the Grand Strand commercial corridors.
SBA Microloans — up to $50,000 via SC Community Loan Fund for Myrtle Beach micro-businesses, women-owned businesses, minority-owned entrepreneurs, and underserved SMBs in Horry County.
Equipment financing — for restaurant and kitchen equipment, golf course maintenance equipment, hotel and resort facilities equipment, healthcare and dental equipment, construction equipment, and watersports and marine equipment; equipment serves as primary collateral.
Revenue-based financing — for restaurants, hotels, vacation rental management companies, retail shops, bars, entertainment attractions, and personal services businesses with consistent seasonal and year-round monthly deposit histories driven by Grand Strand's high tourism volume.
Lines of credit — for construction and property management companies, healthcare staffing firms, professional services organizations, tour operators, and retail businesses managing seasonal cash-flow cycles and operating capital needs.
CDFI direct lending — SC Community Loan Fund provides mission-focused direct lending and Charleston LDC provides SBA 504 structuring for underserved, minority-owned, and growth-stage SMBs across Horry County and the Grand Strand.

Sources

The SBA South Carolina District Office in Columbia administers SBA 7(a), 504, and Microloan programs across South Carolina, partnering with the South Carolina SBDC network including the Coastal Carolina University SBDC and Horry-Georgetown Technical College SBDC to serve Myrtle Beach and Horry County entrepreneurs. — SBA — South Carolina District Office
U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns data shows the Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach MSA (Horry County, SC and Brunswick County, NC) hosts more than 18,000 employer establishments across leisure and hospitality, retail, healthcare, and construction sectors. — U.S. Census Bureau — County Business Patterns
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages confirms leisure and hospitality, retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, and construction as dominant SMB employer sectors in the Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. — BLS — Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
SC Community Loan Fund and Charleston LDC are U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund-certified lenders providing SBA 504 structuring, small-business loans, microloans, and business technical assistance to underserved, minority-owned, women-owned, and coastal entrepreneurs across Horry County and South Carolina. — U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund

Key takeaways

The SBA South Carolina District Office (Columbia) and SBDC at Coastal Carolina University are the primary public resources for Myrtle Beach SMBs seeking SBA 7(a), 504, and Microloan programs.
SC Community Loan Fund (direct CDFI lending) and Charleston LDC (SBA 504 structuring) provide mission-driven capital access for underserved, minority-owned, and growth-stage SMBs across Horry County and the Grand Strand.
The Grand Strand's 14 million-plus annual visitors and the retirement in-migration driving Horry County's status as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties create a dual tourism-and-demographics growth engine that sustains both seasonal and year-round SMB demand.
The golf economy's 90+ courses and the retirement services economy give Myrtle Beach a diversified SMB lending market beyond the core tourism and hospitality anchor — golf equipment, senior services, healthcare, and real estate are all growing categories with strong financing profiles.
Apply at Find my match to see which Myrtle Beach-matched loan programs your business qualifies for.