The city is a magnet connecting to growth metros such as Charleston and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina to the north and Jacksonville, Florida, and Tampa to the south. Residential population growth is not over the top, just consistent: population in 2024 sits at 343,000 residents, a 1.2% increase from 2023. Over the previous three years, growth hovered right around 1.5%.
In 2022, it experienced a surge in visitor spending, reaching $4.4 billion. In 2023, construction permits for residential projects set a record high, while commercial permits saw significant investments for manufacturing. On 2023 multi-family housing expansion, the Development Services Department issued 823 construction permits for new housing units.