Average Salaries in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Explore salaries across 279 occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $57.2K, -7.0% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 279 occupations and 77,460 total jobs in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC.
How the metro compares
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Dentists, General. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $166.3K | 100 |
| Chief Executives | $161.2K | 90 |
| Pharmacists | $134.0K | 240 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $133.0K | 60 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $130.9K | 40 |
| Optometrists | $129.0K | N/A |
| Software Developers | $125.5K | 280 |
| Financial Managers | $124.2K | 280 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $122.6K | 160 |
| Physician Assistants | $122.4K | 70 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 3,640 | $31.5K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 3,330 | $18.7K |
| Cashiers | 2,470 | $28.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 2,310 | $27.9K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 2,200 | $29.7K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,880 | $38.2K |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,840 | $36.7K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,790 | $36.1K |
| Landscaping And Groundskeeping Workers | 1,740 | $37.5K |
| General And Operations Managers | 1,640 | $91.2K |
What Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Brokers | 9.28 | N/A |
| Amusement And Recreation Attendants | 6.06 | $27.6K |
| Barbers | 6.04 | $44.8K |
| Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other | 4.70 | $44.0K |
| Tailors, Dressmakers, And Custom Sewers | 4.56 | $36.8K |
| Motorboat Mechanics And Service Technicians | 4.55 | $51.2K |
| Hotel, Motel, And Resort Desk Clerks | 3.60 | $33.4K |
| Landscaping And Groundskeeping Workers | 3.47 | $37.5K |
| Captains, Mates, And Pilots Of Water Vessels | 3.47 | $46.3K |
| Pest Control Workers | 3.44 | $38.6K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.