City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Hilton Head Island, SC

Hilton Head Island's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

37,805
Residents
$96,715
Median income
$652,100
Median home
$1,155
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Hilton Head Island.

Place dossier plate

Sheet SC-HILTON-HEAD-ISLAND-SC · Hilton Head Island, SC 37,805 pop · income 76th pct · 43 tracts

POP-SMALL · INC-HIGH · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-HIGH · BOOK-WIDE

  • POP-SMALL 37,805
  • INC-HIGH $96,715
  • COL-BELOW 93.7
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 76th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ South Eliot
  • HOME-HIGH $652,100
  • BOOK-WIDE 43 tracts

Nearest income peer: South Eliot, ME ( $10 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Hilton Head Island

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Hilton Head Island on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Hilton Head Island on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 37,805.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $96,715. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Hilton Head Island - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Hilton Head Island places in the 76th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

76th
percentile, household income
91st
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Hilton Head Island, SC

37,805 people live in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $96,715 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 6.2%. Home values in Hilton Head Island run a median of $652,100, and the median resident age is 59.9 years. About 55.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 47.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 116 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Growing), up 10% from five years earlier.

Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, South Carolina scores 93.7 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,155 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts South Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $224 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 70.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Hilton Head Island's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Hilton Head Island, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Population change

Is Hilton Head Island growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +604 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 116 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Hilton Head Island?

Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Myrtle Beach (37,214 residents, $53,679 income); Spartanburg (38,578 residents, $51,193 income); Greer (39,191 residents, $80,030 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Montclair, CA (37,809 residents); Tupelo, MS (37,825 residents); Winchester, NV (37,774 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Within-city variation

What can 43 Census tracts reveal inside Hilton Head Island?

That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.

PlainCities matches 43 Census tracts to this city.

Explore Hilton Head Island's tract profiles →

4. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Hilton Head Island?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Hilton Head Island?

The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 55.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.

Matched public schools
5
Bachelor's degree+
55.3%
Poverty estimate
6.2%

NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.

See how the family ranking is built →

Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Hilton Head Island?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

Household income
$96,715
Home value
$652,100
Value / income
6.7×

City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

37,805 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$96,715 /yr

High income · poverty 6.2% (Below-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

93.7 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average

City profile score · Hilton Head Island, SC

72/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Bachelor's+ share A
55.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income B+
$96,715

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Cost of living B
93.7 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Poverty rate C
6.2%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Hilton Head Island profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Cost of living, Poverty rate. Bachelor's+ shareHousehold incomeCost of livingPoverty rate 72 B
Hilton Head Island profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 88/100 (A) · 55.3%
  • Household income: 75/100 (B+) · $96,715
  • Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
  • Poverty rate: 58/100 (C) · 6.2%

How does Hilton Head Island compare to other US cities?

Here's how Hilton Head Island stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 76% higher than other cities
Home value 91% pricier than other cities
Median rent 46% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Hilton Head Island against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

South Carolina-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Hilton Head Island near the bottom of South Carolina's cities

Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Hilton Head Island ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Hilton Head Island only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#36 of 403
91st percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#11 of 404
97th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#330 of 439
25th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#28 of 441
94th percentile in South Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

76thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

76th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Hilton Head Island's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$652,100 9th percentile more affordable than 9% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). This entry sits in this band. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Hilton Head Island $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Hilton Head Island's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.7×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,560 of 15,516
More affordable than 6% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,080 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 6.7×, Hilton Head Island sits in the pressured band: national rank #14,560 of 15,516 and #3,080 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$96,715 Hilton Head Island, SC median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Hilton Head Island, SC Hilton Head Island, SC's median household income ($96,715) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Hilton Head Island, SC-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Hilton Head Island, SC median $96,715/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Hilton Head Island, SC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Hilton Head Island, SC.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 55.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 6.2%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 47.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
37,805
Median Income
$96,715
Median Home Value
$652,100
Median Age
59.9
Poverty Rate
6.2%
Labor force participation
47.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
55.3%

Schools

Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
37,500 residents38,000 residents38,500 residents39,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 37,592 residents 38,196 residents ▲ +1.6%
Hilton Head Island's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 37,592 residents
2021 37,660 residents
2022 38,073 residents
2023 38,303 residents
2024 38,421 residents
2025 38,196 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Growing
Total Permits (2024)
116
housing units authorized
Single-Family
116
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 105
2020 188
2021 554
2022 193
2023 89
2024 116

Permit volume increased 10% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
69.6%
Carpool
8.7%
Public Transit
0.4%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
17.3%
Other
2.6%

Based on 15,787 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

South Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $224

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Carolina at $224 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).

These are South Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Hilton Head Island. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

South Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.7 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Hilton Head Island is $1,155/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 / 100 (High).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a South Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Hilton Head Island sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Hilton Head Island compares to similar-size South Carolina cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Hilton Head Island (this city) 37,805 $96,715
Myrtle Beach 37,214 $53,679
Spartanburg 38,578 $51,193
Greer 39,191 $80,030
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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