Home / Wages / Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal salaries The median worker in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area earned $40,090 a year in 2024, about $19.28 an hour. That ranks #353 of the 391 metro areas published here, 19% below the national median.
South Carolina
Median pay $40,090 $19.28 per hour
Vs national -19% U.S. $49,500
Workers 81,820 wage and salary
Metro rank #353 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal pays 10.4% less than South Carolina as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Amusement and Recreation Attendants 6.06× 1,200 $27,560 Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks 3.6× 500 $33,350 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 3.47× 1,740 $37,460 Firefighters 3.05× 540 $50,710 Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 3.01× 680 $28,480 Waiters and Waitresses 2.73× 3,330 $18,700 Cooks, Restaurant 2.39× 1,840 $36,710 Dishwashers 2.21× 550 $31,390 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 2.13× 960 $31,200 Food Preparation Workers 2.03× 960 $33,780 Retail Salespersons 1.81× 3,640 $31,530 Bartenders 1.76× 700 $18,830
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal Occupation Median Hourly Employed Pharmacists $134,000 $64.42 240 Software Developers $125,460 $60.32 280 Financial Managers $124,190 $59.71 280 Sales Managers $117,960 $56.71 240 Nurse Practitioners $116,500 $56.01 220 Medical and Health Services Managers $100,580 $48.35 320 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $96,700 n/a 200 Lawyers $96,190 $46.24 290 Construction Managers $94,800 $45.58 250 General and Operations Managers $91,230 $43.86 1,640 Project Management Specialists $86,490 $41.58 380 Management Analysts $82,280 $39.56 210 Registered Nurses $78,480 $37.73 1,420 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $77,260 $37.14 570 Accountants and Auditors $75,090 $36.10 550 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $74,960 $36.04 280 Food Service Managers $72,550 $34.88 250 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $71,680 $34.46 300 Human Resources Specialists $65,920 $31.69 310 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $65,850 $31.66 200 Chefs and Head Cooks $65,780 $31.63 210 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $62,660 n/a 620 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers $62,550 $30.07 370 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $62,360 n/a 900 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,990 n/a 390 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $60,670 $29.17 240 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $60,150 $28.92 520 Insurance Sales Agents $60,010 $28.85 220 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $59,270 $28.49 350 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $58,230 $27.99 730 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $58,060 $27.91 760 Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents $57,250 $27.52 310 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $57,200 $27.50 590 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers $54,690 $26.29 370 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $51,760 $24.89 290 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,730 $24.39 710 Firefighters $50,710 $24.38 540 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $48,480 $23.31 300 Paralegals and Legal Assistants $48,420 $23.28 280 Electricians $47,950 $23.05 220 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,910 $23.03 910 Carpenters $47,840 $23.00 510 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $47,830 $22.99 530 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $47,810 $22.99 810 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $46,360 $22.29 960 Construction Laborers $45,100 $21.68 880 Dental Assistants $44,880 $21.58 270 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $44,750 $21.52 1,170 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $41,250 $19.83 930 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $39,650 $19.06 240 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $38,760 $18.63 450 Office Clerks, General $38,240 $18.38 1,880 Medical Assistants $38,230 $18.38 490 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $38,220 $18.37 240 Pharmacy Technicians $38,200 $18.36 280 Counter and Rental Clerks $37,660 $18.11 220 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,460 $18.01 1,740 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $37,120 $17.85 320 Light Truck Drivers $36,980 $17.78 300 Cooks, Restaurant $36,710 $17.65 1,840
Where most people work Largest occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Retail Salespersons 3,640 $31,530 $15.16 Waiters and Waitresses 3,330 $18,700 $8.99 Cashiers 2,470 $28,800 $13.85 Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,310 $27,850 $13.39 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 2,200 $29,680 $14.27 Office Clerks, General 1,880 $38,240 $18.38 Cooks, Restaurant 1,840 $36,710 $17.65 Customer Service Representatives 1,790 $36,070 $17.34 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 1,740 $37,460 $18.01 General and Operations Managers 1,640 $91,230 $43.86 Stockers and Order Fillers 1,490 $35,500 $17.07 Registered Nurses 1,420 $78,480 $37.73 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1,310 $28,870 $13.88 Amusement and Recreation Attendants 1,200 $27,560 $13.25 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1,170 $44,750 $21.52 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 960 $46,360 $22.29 Food Preparation Workers 960 $33,780 $16.24 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 960 $31,200 $15.00 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 930 $41,250 $19.83 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 910 $47,910 $23.03
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other South Carolina metro areas Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia 1,340,800 workers $48,880 Charleston-North Charleston 388,220 workers $47,620 Spartanburg 163,980 workers $46,210 Columbia 385,940 workers $45,380 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 427,770 workers $44,920 Augusta-Richmond County 229,650 workers $44,280 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal pay: common questions What is the average salary in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal? The median across all occupations is $40,090 , or $19.28 an hour, covering 81,820 wage and salary workers. The mean is $52,440, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal pay more than the rest of South Carolina? No. The metro median of $40,090 is 10.4% below the South Carolina median of $44,760. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal? Pharmacists ($134,000), Software Developers ($125,460), Financial Managers ($124,190). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal unusually full of? Amusement and Recreation Attendants, at 6.06× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.