Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mostly strong, with a single weak spot. Its strongest subject is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country. Hilton Head Island’s overall grade of B puts it better than 56% of U.S. towns, 49th of 167 in South Carolina. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $782K, 9.4 years of the Hilton Head Island metro’s $83K median household income. It also trails on hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. This South Carolina town has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Stoney-Baynard Plantation and Fort Howell. 39% of residents are 65 or older here, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). The town’s density of trails is 1.0 miles per square mile, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Hilton Head Island beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4.4% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Hilton Head Island is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 23,694 in 1990, 37,661 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1846 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hilton Head Island, 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 Hilton Head Island.
Hilton Head Island is a second-home town and draws workers from Bluffton and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
At 9.4 years of the Hilton Head Island metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $782K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Home values rose 40% in five years, to about $782K, against 24% across South Carolina.
For households in Hilton Head Island, the share who own their home is 79%. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.1%. The town’s median rent is $1,479 a month.
| Hilton Head Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,479 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Beaufort 01 school district. 4 public schools serve Hilton Head Island, with 2,277 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 778 | C+ |
| Hilton Head Island HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,265 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Its A− for the outdoors ranks #4 of 169 in South Carolina.
Hilton Head Island’s density of trails stands at 1.0 miles per square mile. Across 15 parks and preserves: 72 miles of trail. Also worth knowing: the biggest park or preserve is Chaplin Park, at 54 acres.
| Hilton Head Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audubon Newhall Preserve | 0.9 mi | 46 |
| 2. Chaplin Park | 0.2 mi | 54 |
| 3. Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park | 0.1 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
20,739 jobs are based in Hilton Head Island, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.5 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
The top destinations are Bluffton (5%), Burton (3%) and Savannah (2%). In Hilton Head Island, the average trip to work is 19 minutes. Only 9 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Hilton Head Island. The share of residents in Hilton Head Island who live below the poverty line: 8.6%.
| Hilton Head Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 8.6% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 17% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $2,018 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 1,412 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 96 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected losses in Hilton Head Island break down as 82% from hurricanes and 6% from inland flooding. Since 1987, 1,412 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. Only 8 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Hilton Head Island.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
10% of adults worry about having enough food in Hilton Head Island. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Hilton Head Island. CDC measures, 32 in all: Hilton Head Island beats South Carolina on 20 and trails on 4.
| Hilton Head Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 38% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 23% | 23% |
| What stands out | Hilton Head Island | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.8% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 13.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 41°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.3°.
In Hilton Head Island, the July high is 90°F. Snow is almost unheard of. Winters in the town are warm and summers warm, with plenty of rain.
| Hilton Head Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hilton Head Island. Close and well known come first.
14 mi National MonumentFort Pulaski National Monument321K visitors a year
22 mi MuseumMercer House
24 mi State parkWormsloe Historic Site
22 mi MuseumSorrel–Weed House
9 mi Ancient siteCharlesfort-Santa Elena Site
21 mi State parkHunting Island State ParkFort Pulaski National Monument: Edibobb, CC BY 3.0 · Mercer House: Kyle Kesselring from Canal Winchester, OH, CC BY 2.0 · Wormsloe Historic Site: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sorrel–Weed House: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site: Arman Manookian, Public domain · Hunting Island State Park: The original uploader was Cdamgen at English Wikipedia., Public domain
None within 15 miles of Hilton Head Island; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hilton Head Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Hilton Head Island’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Hilton Head Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Hilton Head Island.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Hilton Head Island (sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head) is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is a barrier island within the South Carolina Lowcountry, located 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles (153 km) southwest of Charleston. The year-round population was 37,661 at the 2020 census, although during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 150,000. It is the principal city of the Hilton Head Island metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 232,523 in 2023. The island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound, which map…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hilton Head Island.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island | #49 | B | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Daufuskie Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hilton Head Island reports no FBI crime data of its own. Daufuskie Island isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hilton Head Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hilton Head Island grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #49 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades A− for health 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 D.
6 notable people were born here, including Ryan Hartman and Chris Butler.
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