Shell PointSC
A town of 1,439.
Is Shell Point a good place to live?
The best of Shell Point’s subject grades is an A− for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Shell Point’s median age is 53.2 years, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 38.9 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. On hazard risk, just 3 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Shell Point has 1 place on the National Register. Shell Point has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Shell Point stand out
Where Shell Point beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Shell Point | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.2% | 13.9% |
1,439 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Shell Point grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Shell Point is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Shell Point: who provides what
Shell Point is unincorporated, so Beaufort County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shell Point.
Shell Point faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shell Point.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shell Point stands out in South Carolina and nationally: a smaller share of its adults have been diagnosed with depression
19% of Shell Point adults have been diagnosed with depression, below both the South Carolina town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). 31% of Shell Point adults have obesity. Shell Point beats the South Carolina average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Shell Point | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 28% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Shell Point | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.2% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.8% | 20.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.3% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A smaller share of working residents work locally in Shell Point than in most of South Carolina or the rest of the country
0.6% of working residents work locally in Shell Point. Since 2013, Shell Point has lost 81 jobs, to 91 in 2023. 3.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Shell Point.
| Shell Point | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Older than South Carolina overall
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 26% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Shell Point’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±20.3 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Shell Point | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 3.6% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.3% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.1% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.2% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.2% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
In Shell Point, expect mild winters and hot summers
Shell Point has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Shell Point’s July high is 91°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in Shell Point sells for about $369K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mercer House and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shell Point. Close and well known come first.
29 mi MuseumMercer House
25 mi National MonumentFort Pulaski National Monument321K visitors a year
7 mi Ancient siteCharlesfort-Santa Elena Site
29 mi MuseumSorrel–Weed House
33 mi State parkWormsloe Historic Site
18 mi State parkHunting Island State ParkPhoto credits
Mercer House: Kyle Kesselring from Canal Winchester, OH, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Pulaski National Monument: Edibobb, CC BY 3.0 · Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site: Arman Manookian, Public domain · Sorrel–Weed House: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wormsloe Historic Site: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hunting Island State Park: The original uploader was Cdamgen at English Wikipedia., Public domain
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Everything we know about Shell Point
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Shell Point
About 5 of every 100 Shell Point residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
99% of working residents leave Shell Point for work
Where Shell Point’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Shell Point
CDP in South Carolina, United States
Shell Point is a census-designated place (CDP) in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Shell Point is served by the Burton Fire District. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Shell Point is in the Hilton Head Island−Bluffton, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 16 ft
Questions about Shell Point
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shell Point, SC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $293,000, 4% below the South Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.