Myrtle Beach area second fastest-growing region in U.S.

With a one-year population increase of more than 12,000 people, the Myrtle Beach metropolitan statistical area ranked as the second fastest-growing in the nation from July 1, 2013 to July 1, 2014.

The U.S. Census Bureau, which released the 2014 population estimates Thursday, said the metro area had 417,668 residents, up nearly 41,000 people since the 2010 census.

The MSA includes Horry County and, for the first time, Brunswick County, N.C., which boosted the overall number by 118,836.

Georgetown County, which is not in a federally-defined MSA, saw its population rise to 60,693 in the new estimate.