Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bluffton grades B+ overall, 32nd among South Carolina's 167 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $111K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $498K, 6 years of the Hilton Head Island metro’s $83K median household income. Bluffton’s median rent is $2,256 a month, where South Carolina’s towns sit at $1,058 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. On hazard risk, just 11 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Bluffton has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rose Hill Plantation House and Church of the Cross.
Where Bluffton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1728, comes before those of 97% of the South Carolina towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 170 in 1880, a low of 170 in 1880, 27,716 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 3 maps from 1945 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Bluffton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bluffton. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National MonumentFort Pulaski National Monument321K visitors a year
14 mi MuseumMercer House
14 mi MuseumSorrel–Weed House
18 mi State parkWormsloe Historic Site
14 mi MuseumCongregation Mickve Israel
14 mi Park & preserveForsyth ParkFort Pulaski National Monument: Edibobb, CC BY 3.0 · Mercer House: Kyle Kesselring from Canal Winchester, OH, CC BY 2.0 · Sorrel–Weed House: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wormsloe Historic Site: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Congregation Mickve Israel: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Forsyth Park: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bluffton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bluffton.
Bluffton fares better on crime within South Carolina than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of South Carolina.
At 6 years of the Hilton Head Island metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $498K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,988, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
83% of Bluffton households own their home. The typical Bluffton home is worth about $498,000, about the same as a year ago, 64% above the South Carolina typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Beaufort 01 school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Ridge AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,134 | B+ |
| May River HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,731 | A+ |
| Bluffton HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,375 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with South Carolina is tooth loss: 7.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.9% statewide.
19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Bluffton. Bluffton beats the South Carolina average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults have obesity in Bluffton.
| Bluffton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Bluffton | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 17.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.6% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $838 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Bluffton’s FEMA risk score is 97 of 100. Since 1987, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bluffton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 97% of South Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 392 to 295 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Bluffton is 0.6 per 1,000 residents. Only 6 of the 90 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Bluffton.
| Bluffton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Bluffton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bluffton has about as many jobs (10,608) as working residents, but only 2,303 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 4,673 in 2013 to 10,608.
Most working residents leave Bluffton for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Bluffton grew to 10,608 in 2023, 5,935 more than in 2013. Only 8 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Bluffton.
| Bluffton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Work from home | 16% | 8.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
7.7 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bluffton Buckwalter Rec Center, at 30 acres.
| Bluffton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oscar Fraizer Park | 0.5 mi | 29 |
| 2. eviCore Healthcare Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 3. Bluffton Buckwalter Rec Center | — | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bluffton
About 5 of every 100 Bluffton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
12,530 counted in 2010 and 27,716 in 2020; an estimated 36,807 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 33% since 2020, after 121.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in Bluffton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Bluffton is a town in southern Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 27,716, an increase of over 120% since the 2010 census, making it the 17th-most populous municipality and one of the fastest growing municipalities in South Carolina. It is primarily located around U.S. Route 278 between Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95. Bluffton is a principal town within the Hilton Head Island metropolitan area. The Lowcountry town's original one square mile area, now known as Old Town, is situated on a bluff along the May River. After the Tariff of 1842, Bluffton became a hotbed of separatist sentiment, which in turn led to a protest against federal…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bluffton grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #32 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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