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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-SULLIVANS-ISLAND-SC · Sullivan's Island, SC 2,127 pop · income 97th pct
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 Sullivan's Island
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Sullivan's Island on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Graniteville · lowest
29,495
Graniteville · lowest
29,495 median HH income
16.4% of the leader · rank #1
Summit Park · near
179,516
Summit Park · near
179,516 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #2
Springdale · near
179,531
Springdale · near
179,531 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #3
Pelham · near
179,561
Pelham · near
179,561 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #4
Sullivan's Is… · this city
179,614
Sullivan's Is… · this city
179,614 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #5
Matinecock · near
179,688
Matinecock · near
179,688 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #6
Millerton · highest
179,779
Millerton · highest
179,779 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Sullivan's Island on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 2,127.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Sullivan's Island - the verdict
Sullivan's Island ranks in the 97th percentile for household income and the 58th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
97th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
58th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Sullivan's Island, SC
Sullivan's Island is a small town in South Carolina, home to 2,127 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $179,614 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Home values in Sullivan's Island sit on the ACS top-code of $2,000,000+; the true median is at least that high and is not published exactly, and the median resident age is 52.9 years. 87.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 61.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 12 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Slowing), down 8% from five years earlier. Sullivan's Island reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1139.9 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 93.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,155 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $224 across South Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Sullivan's 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 work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to reported crime to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Sullivan's Island, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Sullivan's 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. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
How far does income reach against housing in Sullivan's Island?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 11.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Sullivan's Island?
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Seabrook Island (2,107 residents, $124,519 income); Timmonsville (2,153 residents, $32,736 income); Blacksburg (2,158 residents, $33,500 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Southmont, PA (2,127 residents); Putnamville, IN (2,126 residents); Jackson, KY (2,128 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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Is Sullivan's 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 +63 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 12 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Sullivan's Island?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1139.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 50% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1139.9
Violent rate
0.0
Total reported rate
1139.9
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the education layer cover for Sullivan's Island?
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 87.2% 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 matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Matched public schools
1
Bachelor's degree+
87.2%
Poverty estimate
2.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
Note: Census ACS censors the tails of median household income ($250,000+ / under $2,500) and median home value ($2,000,000+ / under $10,000).
Home value is shown as $2,000,000+ for the same reason.
A+
City profile score · Sullivan's Island, SC
90/100
5 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.
Household income A+
$179,614
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
87.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate A-
2.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
Sullivan's Island profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $179,614
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 87.2%
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Where Sullivan's Island sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Sullivan's Island's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Sullivan's Island highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Sullivan's Island, SC (this city): home $2,000,000+, crime 1,140/100k
Jackson, KY : home $75,900, crime 765/100k
Cherryvale, KS : home $53,300, crime 2,038/100k
Timmonsville, SC : home $88,000, crime 2,802/100k
Blacksburg, SC : home $137,000, crime 2,395/100k
Pacolet, SC : home $94,100, crime 1,652/100k
Elgin, SC : home $204,300, crime 5,818/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Sullivan's Island compare to other US cities?
Where Sullivan's Island sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income97% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety58% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at South Carolina, Sullivan's Island ranks #15 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Sullivan's 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 Sullivan's Island near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Sullivan's Island ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Sullivan's Island only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#4 of 403
99th percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#1 of 404
100th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#383 of 439
13th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#2 of 441
100th 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.
Gauge source note
97th percentile nationally for median household income · 58th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Sullivan's Island's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Sullivan's Island's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Sullivan's Island's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$2,000,000+1st percentilemore affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,425 of 15,516
More affordable than 1% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,261 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 11.1×, Sullivan's Island sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,425 of 15,516 and #11,261 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$179,614Sullivan's Island, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Sullivan's 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 Sullivan's Island, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)87.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,127
Median Income
$179,614
Median Home Value
$2,000,000+
Median Age
52.9
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
61.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
87.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1139.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1139.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Sullivan's Island's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,898 residents
2021
1,894 residents
2022
1,916 residents
2023
1,935 residents
2024
1,960 residents
2025
1,961 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
12
housing units authorized
Single-Family
12
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
13
13
0
$20.9M
2020
7
7
0
$12.2M
2021
17
17
0
$22.7M
2022
16
16
0
$40.4M
2023
19
19
0
$44.3M
2024
12
12
0
$26.4M
Permit volume decreased 8% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.1%
Carpool
1.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
11.1%
Other
4.0%
Based on 1,131 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 Sullivan's 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 Sullivan's 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 Sullivan's Island sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Sullivan's 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, 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.