BY ADAM BENSON

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A dominant hospitality sector and rapidly growing high-tech realm has propelled Myrtle Beach near the top of America’s best performing cities, a major new study shows.

And that momentum likely will continue in the coming years as waves of people continue settling down in South Carolina’s fastest-growing region, a report co-author said.

“I think Myrtle Beach this year had a very nice combination, because it was definitely bolstered by leisure and hospitality, but looking at its rankings across other components of the index, the city doesn’t do poorly and is way above the middle of the pack,” Milken Institute economist Maggie Switek, who co-wrote the study, said. “It ranks above the median even among large cities.”

The nonprofit think tank this week listed Myrtle Beach as the nation’s 12th best-performing city out of the 200 it evaluated, based on metrics including broadband access, labor market conditions, high-tech impact and housing affordability — vaulting it up 89 spots from 2021 rankings.

“This fits into the exact motto and vision that we’re out on the streets pitching saying, ‘hey this is where it’s at,’” Howard Waldie IV, Myrtle Beach’s chief innovation officer, said. “We’ve got this third-party entity here, who is doing their own research, and they’re seeing that Myrtle Beach region as a whole is poised for high-tech growth.”

Milken, a California-based think tank, has published its list of best-performing cities since 1999.

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