Little River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 11,711 at the 2020 census.

Little River is named for the Little River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the state line between North Carolina and South Carolina. The Little River inlet has long been a breakpoint for tropical cyclone warnings.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.8&nbsp;square miles (28.0&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 10.5&nbsp;square miles (27.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.4&nbsp;square mile (0.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (3.33%) is water.

The area is mainly made up of housing developments, old scrub pine forests, marshes and swamps and is bordered by the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Intracoastal waterway. Live oaks, Spanish moss, crepe myrtle trees and palm trees dot the landscape.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Little River had a population of 11,711. The median age was 60.1 years. 11.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 5,957 households, including 2,633 families, in Little River. 13.9% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.4% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|9,873

|84.31%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|669

|5.71%

|-

|Native American

|62

|0.53%

|-

|Asian

|116

|0.99%

|-

|Pacific Islander

|15

|0.13%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|470

|4.01%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|506

|4.32%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Major highways

  • 20px US 17
  • 25px SC 9
  • 25px SC 31
  • 25px SC 90
  • 25px SC 179

Education

Little River has a public library, a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library.

Wildlife

Little River common natural wildlife includes bobcats, lizards (geckos and anoles), amphibians (flatwoods salamander and Carolina gopher frog), non-lizard reptiles (water snakes, yellow-bellied turtles and alligators), wading birds and mammals (black bear and bobcat).

References

  • Little River Chamber of Commerce
  • Little River