Hilton Head Island is a medium-sized coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 33,775 people and nine constituent neighborhoods, Hilton Head Island is the 9th largest community in South Carolina.

Unlike some towns, Hilton Head Island isn't mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Hilton Head Island are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Hilton Head Island is a town of sales and office workers, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Hilton Head Island who work in sales jobs (16.93%), management occupations (14.91%), and office and administrative support jobs (10.59%).

Hilton Head Island is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.

One of the nice things about Hilton Head Island is that is it nautical, meaning that parts of the town are somewhat historic and on the ocean, or touch tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Hilton Head Island spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 16.81 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Hilton Head Island is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. Taxis helps to get a lot of people to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Hilton Head Island area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

Hilton Head Island Information and Demographics

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Hilton Head Island. 45.94% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 14.96%.

The per capita income in Hilton Head Island in 2000 was $36,621, which is wealthy relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $146,484 for a family of four. However, Hilton Head Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Hilton Head Island is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Hilton Head Island home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Hilton Head Island is White, followed by African-American. Hilton Head Island also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.65% of the town's residents. Important ancestries of people in Hilton Head Island include English, German, Irish, Italian, Scottish, Polish, and Scotch-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Hilton Head Island is English. Some people also speak Spanish.