By admin 
It’s well known that South Carolina is currently one of the most popular states to move to, and despite having several counties that are at high risk from the effects of natural disasters, the state’s population continues to increase.
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A county is considered to be high-risk when it’s most likely to be affected by at least one of 18 natural hazards, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, earthquakes and extreme heat.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) compares U.S. counties’ expected annual losses, social vulnerability and community resilience from natural disasters, then assigns counties an overall rating from Very Low to Very High.
You would think that these counties would see more people move out and settle down in a safer area, but the 25 fastest-growing high-risk counties added about 2.07 million residents from 2020 to 2025, according to a report from RealtyHomes.com.
In SC, three counties are among the top 25 fastest-growing high-risk counties. Here are the counties and how much they’ve grown in five years:
SC’s fastest-growing high-risk counties
SC’s high-risk county with the largest population growth in five years is Horry County. Between 2020 and 2025, the coastal county’s population grew by 20.9%, adding 73,777 new residents. Horry County ranks No. 4 nationally.
The 2nd fastest-growing high-risk county in SC is Berkeley County, which grew by 18.7% in 5 years and gained 43,188 new residents. Berkeley County ranks No. 8 nationally.
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The 3rd and last fastest-growing high-risk county in SC is Beaufort County. The population grew by 8.8% between 2020 and 2025, gaining 16,619 new residents. Beaufort County ranks No. 25 nationally.
Top 10 fastest-growing high-risk counties
The following 10 counties are high-risk or very high-risk from natural disasters and are the fastest-growing among all high-risk counties in the country:
- Brunswick County, NC: 26.5% population growth
- Montgomery County, TX: 24.9% population growth
- St. Lucie County, FL: 21.4% population growth
- Horry County, SC: 20.9% population growth
- Collin County, TX: 20.6% population growth
- Polk County, FL: 19.8% population growth
- Pasco County, FL: 19.1% population growth
- Berkeley County, SC: 18.7% population growth
- Fort Bend County, TX: 17.4% population growth
- Marion County, FL: 17.3% population growth
Housing supply also increased in these counties. The 25 fastest-growing high-risk counties added 983,381 housing units between 2020 and 2025.
How were rankings determined?
RealtyHomes.com analyzed U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 county population estimates and FEMA’s National Risk Index (NRI) v1.20, according to its website. The study included U.S. counties and county equivalents with at least 100,000 residents as of July 1, 2025, and a FEMA overall risk rating of Relatively High or Very High.
Counties were then ranked by population growth from 2020 to 2025. Housing growth was calculated using Census Vintage 2025 county housing estimates, comparing the April 1, 2020 estimates with July 1, 2025 estimates.
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