Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Across all occupations in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metropolitan area, the median wage is $43,850 a year ($21.08 an hour) and the mean $54,860, May 2025. That median is −14% against the US median of $50,980 and −6% against South Carolina's $46,490. BLS counts 81,920 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC vs South Carolina and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | Hourly | $12.47 | $16.08 | $21.08 | $30.53 | $45.50 | $26.37 | 81,920 |
| Annual | $25,940 | $33,440 | $43,850 | $63,500 | $94,650 | $54,860 | ||
| South Carolina | Hourly | $13.01 | $16.65 | $22.35 | $33.82 | $49.52 | $28.50 | 2,305,080 |
| Annual | $27,070 | $34,630 | $46,490 | $70,340 | $103,010 | $59,280 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
270 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: South Carolina. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $412,490 | $198.31 | 110 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $276,020 | $132.70 | 30 |
| 3 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $227,660 | $109.45 | 50 |
| 4 | Chief Executives | $174,230 | $83.77 | 60 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in South Carolina | $144,990 | $69.71 | 60 |
| 6 | Dentists, General | $144,640 | $69.54 | 50 |
| 7 | Pharmacists | $137,360 | $66.04 | 180 |
| 8 | Financial Managers in South Carolina | $128,900 | $61.97 | 280 |
| 9 | Managers, All Other in South Carolina | $127,640 | $61.37 | 60 |
| 10 | Software Developers in South Carolina | $125,760 | $60.46 | 260 |
| 11 | Physician Assistants | $125,350 | $60.26 | 80 |
| 12 | Marketing Managers | $124,800 | $60.00 | 80 |
| 13 | Sales Managers in South Carolina | $124,290 | $59.75 | 300 |
| 14 | Industrial Production Managers | $121,560 | $58.44 | 50 |
| 15 | Management Analysts in South Carolina | $119,430 | $57.42 | 340 |
| 16 | Nurse Practitioners | $119,130 | $57.28 | 260 |
| 17 | Human Resources Managers | $118,750 | $57.09 | 50 |
| 18 | Lawyers in South Carolina | $107,740 | $51.80 | 370 |
| 19 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,370 | $51.14 | 120 |
| 20 | Facilities Managers | $106,330 | $51.12 | 80 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Most concentrated occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 5.42 | 1,140 | 13.87 | $28,300 |
| 2 | Real Estate Sales Agents | 4.10 | 420 | 5.10 | $76,820 |
| 3 | Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | 3.84 | 530 | 6.45 | $35,550 |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers | 3.79 | 260 | 3.18 | $60,860 |
| 5 | Firefighters | 3.50 | 640 | 7.78 | $50,210 |
| 6 | Surveying and Mapping Technicians | 3.45 | 110 | 1.29 | $44,790 |
| 7 | Pest Control Workers | 3.29 | 180 | 2.17 | $43,130 |
| 8 | Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers in South Carolina | 3.09 | 1,550 | 18.96 | $37,770 |
| 9 | First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services | 2.92 | 160 | 1.94 | $59,090 |
| 10 | Waiters and Waitresses in South Carolina | 2.84 | 3,390 | 41.44 | $19,830 |
Occupation groups in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $102,090 | $117,820 | 4,360 | 53.17 | 0.74 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $94,240 | $104,320 | 1,110 | 13.50 | 0.40 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $81,660 | $92,360 | 310 | 3.77 | 0.40 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $80,970 | $94,310 | 4,420 | 54.02 | 0.85 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $76,270 | $84,390 | 680 | 8.30 | 0.49 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $75,610 | $88,310 | 3,630 | 44.28 | 0.65 |
| Legal | $70,070 | $98,770 | 760 | 9.33 | 1.11 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $64,600 | $61,580 | 3,680 | 44.88 | 0.77 |
| Community and Social Service | $51,800 | $55,800 | 910 | 11.08 | 0.65 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $50,760 | $55,990 | 3,550 | 43.38 | 1.11 |
| Construction and Extraction | $50,140 | $55,920 | 3,750 | 45.72 | 1.11 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $49,990 | $63,520 | 780 | 9.50 | 0.72 |
| Protective Service | $48,250 | $53,640 | 2,310 | 28.23 | 1.16 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $45,300 | $47,060 | 60 | 0.69 | 0.25 |
| Production | $45,090 | $49,080 | 1,590 | 19.38 | 0.35 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $43,660 | $46,040 | 10,170 | 124.18 | 1.09 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $37,230 | $39,230 | 4,310 | 52.66 | 1.80 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $37,020 | $40,680 | 5,210 | 63.61 | 0.72 |
| Sales and Related | $35,990 | $46,710 | 9,850 | 120.24 | 1.39 |
| Healthcare Support | $35,580 | $37,980 | 4,290 | 52.40 | 1.03 |
| Personal Care and Service | $33,550 | $37,160 | 3,290 | 40.11 | 1.92 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $31,230 | $33,460 | 12,910 | 157.59 | 1.79 |
Every occupation in South Carolina, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 270 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC estimates (area 25940).
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.