Average Salaries in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Explore salaries across 275 occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $63K, -4.2% 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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 275 occupations and 77,680 total jobs in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC.
How the metro compares
Wages in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
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 Physicians, All Other. 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.
Highest-paid occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $412.5K | 110 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $276K | 30 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $227.7K | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $174.2K | 60 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $145K | 60 |
| Dentists, General | $144.6K | 50 |
| Pharmacists | $137.4K | 180 |
| Financial Managers | $128.9K | 280 |
| Managers, All Other | $127.6K | 60 |
| Software Developers | $125.8K | 260 |
Largest occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 3,700 | $33.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 3,390 | $19.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 2,440 | $29.6K |
| Cashiers | 2,280 | $30.4K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 2,220 | $30.9K |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,730 | $36.8K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,640 | $37.6K |
| Landscaping And Groundskeeping Workers | 1,550 | $37.8K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,510 | $38.3K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,480 | $36.1K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Amusement And Recreation Attendants | 5.42 | $28.3K |
| Landscape Architects | 5.13 | N/A |
| Pipelayers | 4.61 | $44.2K |
| Barbers | 4.34 | $35.9K |
| Captains, Mates, And Pilots Of Water Vessels | 4.14 | $47.6K |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 4.10 | $76.8K |
| Motorboat Mechanics And Service Technicians | 3.97 | $54.2K |
| Hotel, Motel, And Resort Desk Clerks | 3.84 | $35.6K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Landscaping, Lawn Service, And Groundskeeping Workers | 3.79 | $60.9K |
| Baggage Porters And Bellhops | 3.68 | $25.5K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
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.