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CITY · 2020 ACS

Hilton Head Island

South Carolina · 37,661 residents · 41.4 sq mi
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The short version

Hilton Head Island is a city of 37,661 people in South Carolina. The median age is 59.3, about 20 years above the US median. This is an unusually credentialed place: 54% of adults have a four-year degree. That is roughly 57% ahead of the South Carolina median. The typical home is worth $488,000, having risen by half since 2000. 79% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 59.3
US median: 38.8
More educated
54% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
37,661
+11%since 2000
from 33,862 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
59.3
+29%since 2000
from 46.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
41.4 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
22K27K32K37K42K19902000201020202024Hilton Head Island
202438K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 52.6%(982)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.5%(1,328)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 144.4%(1,668)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 194.3%(1,623)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.6%(1,367)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 346.3%(2,361)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 447.5%(2,822)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5410.9%(4,100)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6417.2%(6,492)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7421.3%(8,007)
US avg: 10%
75 to 8413.4%(5,048)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over4.9%(1,863)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$86,171
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $60,438 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$60,988
+67%since 2000
from $36,621 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
55.0%
+9.2 ptssince 2009
from 45.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
6.9%
−0.5 ptssince 2000
from 7.3% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information12.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services10.7%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade8.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade5.4%
US avg: 10%
Public administration4.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance3.5%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$488,000
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $280,100 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,330
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $847 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
78.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 77.7% in 2000
21.2% rent
Persons per household
2.22 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.26 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
5.7
−24%since 2009
from 7.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic79%(26,752)
Black8.1%(2,758)
Hispanic / Latino11.5%(3,886)
Asian0.5%(181)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic77.4%(29,150)
Black5.7%(2,160)
Hispanic / Latino13.4%(5,045)
Asian0.8%(286)
Other1.7%(624)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican8.4%(3,370)
Honduran1%(418)
Puerto Rican0.5%(220)
Costa Rican0.5%(219)
Colombian0.4%(162)
Guatemalan0.4%(159)
Venezuelan0.3%(135)
Argentine0.3%(105)
Cuban0.2%(77)
Salvadoran0.2%(60)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(46)
Uruguayan0.1%(32)
Bolivian0.1%(28)
Chilean0%(16)
Asian origin
Chinese0.3%(105)
Filipino0.2%(79)
Japanese0.1%(51)
Taiwanese0%(13)
Thai0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(25)
Ancestry
German16.7%(6,686)
Irish16%(6,406)
English14.8%(5,935)
Italian8.1%(3,227)
American4.9%(1,942)
Scottish3.7%(1,473)
French3.2%(1,279)
Polish3.2%(1,278)
Scotch-Irish1.8%(710)
Dutch1.5%(604)
Swedish1.4%(560)
Norwegian1.3%(518)
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data
British1.3%(512)
Russian1%(382)
Hungarian0.9%(345)
Welsh0.6%(251)
Swiss0.6%(224)
Austrian0.6%(221)
Ukrainian0.5%(197)
Canadian0.4%(151)
Czech0.4%(144)
Danish0.4%(142)
West Indian0.3%(120)
Slovak0.3%(117)
Greek0.3%(111)
Romanian0.3%(108)
Jamaican0.3%(103)
Finnish0.3%(101)
Armenian0.2%(97)
Lithuanian0.2%(88)
Slovene0.1%(57)
Lebanese0.1%(51)
Croatian0.1%(50)
Latvian0.1%(44)
Portuguese0.1%(37)
Belgian0.1%(33)
Syrian0.1%(28)
Serbian0%(19)
Barbadian0%(17)
Iranian0%(15)
Guyanese0%(13)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
53.9%
+8.0 ptssince 2000
from 45.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
93.4%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 92.5% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
22.9%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 15.1% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.6 min
+73%since 2000
from 11.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
73.9%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 75.0% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
4.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.3%
−3.2 ptssince 2011
from 6.5% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
51.0%
−4.9 ptssince 2011
from 55.9% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
66.9%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
42.0%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.7% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
10.9%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 14.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
10.3%
−7.1 ptssince 2013
from 17.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
96.3%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.0%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married23%(3,817)
Married63.1%(10,463)
Widowed3.8%(635)
Divorced10%(1,659)
Women 15+
Never married17.9%(3,189)
Married60%(10,676)
Widowed11.4%(2,032)
Divorced10.6%(1,888)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.3%
−7.1 ptssince 2013
from 17.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
48.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
26.8%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
37.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
9.6%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.1%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
71.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
44.9%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)7.5%(276)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)12.1%(445)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era53.1%(1,946)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War12.7%(466)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II6.4%(236)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 3,667 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Places similar to Hilton Head Island
Head to head

Compare Hilton Head Island to nearby cities

HILTON HEAD ISLAND VS
Bluffton
Income$111,281+29%
Home value$492,100+1%
Population36,807−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HILTON HEAD ISLAND VS
Port Royal
Income$74,870−13%
Home value$347,200−29%
Population16,648−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HILTON HEAD ISLAND VS
Beaufort
Income$61,220−29%
Home value$345,400−29%
Population15,775−59%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HILTON HEAD ISLAND VS
Hardeeville
Income$78,365−9%
Home value$488,900same
Population16,459−57%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina?

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has about 37,661 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina?

The typical household in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina earns about $86,171 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Hilton Head Island, South Carolina expensive?

In Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $488,000, and the typical rent is about $1,330 a month.

How educated are people in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina?

About 53.9% of adults age 25 and over in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina?

About 6.9% of people in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Hilton Head Island, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 13,967 residents, a change of about 59 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →