GeoFrame / Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Population 35,618 · 28.9 people / sq mi
Real earning power — does pay outrun the cost of living?
Pay here runs at 0.81× the national wage against a cost of living -2.0% vs the nation — a net earning shortfall of -17.4%.
The geography at a glance
Occupations here
secondaryThe occupations we can price in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC, ranked by pay — each with its premium over the occupation's national median and the employment growth BLS actually observed here. Jobs are associated context on GeoFrame; the geography is the anchor. Open any on JobFrame for the full role.
Employment growth 2019–2024, BLS OEWS
Across the 199 occupations Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC published in both 2019 and 2024, employment moved +2.1% (69,690 → 71,160jobs). A matched basket, not the metro's total employment — occupations BLS suppressed in either year are left out rather than counted as zero.
| Occupation | Metro pay | vs national | Employment growth2019–2024 | Pay source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Software Developers 15-1252 | $125,460 | -5.7% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Computer Systems Analysts 15-1211 | $122,570 | +18.1% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Managers, All Other 11-9199 | $113,520 | -16.9% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Human Resources Managers 11-3121 | $108,110 | -22.8% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Marketing Managers 11-2021 | $104,820 | -34.9% | +50.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Industrial Production Managers 11-3051 | $100,440 | -17.3% | +115.0%state | metro | on JobFrame › |
Administrative Services Managers 11-3012 | $99,820 | -7.9% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Lawyers 23-1011 | $96,190 | -36.4% | +3.6% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Data Scientists 15-2051 | $92,870 | -17.5% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Financial and Investment Analysts 13-2051 | $92,600 | -8.6% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Civil Engineers 17-2051 | $91,550 | -8.1% | +12.5% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Computer Occupations, All Other 15-1299 | $88,400 | -18.9% | +85.7% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Project Management Specialists 13-1082 | $86,490 | -14.2% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Accountants and Auditors 13-2011 | $75,090 | -8.1% | -6.8% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Business Operations Specialists, All Other 13-1199 | $74,960 | -7.8% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Training and Development Specialists 13-1151 | $68,370 | +3.8% | +50.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Human Resources Specialists 13-1071 | $65,920 | -9.6% | -3.1% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Logisticians 13-1081 | $63,960 | -20.9% | +60.1%state | metro | on JobFrame › |
Financial Specialists, All Other 13-2099 | $61,960 | -22.7% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 51-1011 | $61,790 | -13.2% | +27.3% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 41-3091 | $58,060 | -12.4% | +68.9% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Computer User Support Specialists 15-1232 | $54,470 | -9.7% | +26.7% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Paralegals and Legal Assistants 23-2011 | $48,420 | -20.6% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Animal Caretakers 39-2021 | $33,920 | +1.3% | +31.8% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Compare metros
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC against its two nearest-cost peers and the nation — the metrics side by side.
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC this metro | Lawton, OK | Florence, SC | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median wage | $40,090 | $40,000 | $40,200 | $49,500 |
| Pay index | 0.81× | 0.81× | 0.81× | 1.00× |
| Cost of living (RPP) | 98.0 | 85.9 | 86.8 | 100.0 |
| Real earning power | 0.83× | 0.94× | 0.94× | 1.00× |
| Population | 35,618 | 5,503 | 138,049 | — |
Methodology
How to read this profile
Every number here is traceable — to a named source, a stated method, and an edition — and each value is labeled by how we know it: observed from data, computed by a formula, projected, or governed canon. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
Where every number comes from
| What | Source & method | Edition | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-occupation median wage | BLS OEWS metropolitan-area all-occupation median | OEWS 2024 | observed |
| Pay index | Metro median ÷ national all-occupation median | OEWS 2024 | computed |
| Cost of living (RPP) | BEA Regional Price Parities (all items), national = 100 | BEA RPP 2023 | observed |
| Real earning power | Pay index ÷ (RPP ÷ 100) — pay against local cost | GeoFrame formula | computed |
| Population & density | U.S. Census population estimates + land area | Census | observed |
| Occupation pay by metro | BLS OEWS occupational medians (metro; state fallback where metro is suppressed) | OEWS 2024 | observed |
| Cost-of-labor rank | Rank of the metro cost-of-labor index across all areas | OEWS 2024 | computed |