How well do you know Hilton Head? Demographic study reveals population is changing
The world brands Hilton Head as a vacation destination. Luxury and lifestyle travel magazines name it the best island in the U.S. Economists called it the “new Hamptons;” country singer Zach Bryan quipped about the two as retirement communities in a recent song.
There is some validity to those judgments, but there’s also a lot more to Hilton Head demographics than what’s on the surface, based on a recent town assessment.
A 2023 assessment shows the population is getting older and varies greatly based on the season. It also shows changing demographics that are rarely mentioned and might not be known among residents: Hilton Head’s population is plateauing, the Hispanic community is growing the fastest and there has been a long-term decrease in African American residents.
The town conducted a “Conditions and Trends” assessment last month, analyzing the town’s demographics to inform policy development and growth planning. The assessment was compiled by consultants and based on multiple sources including the U.S. Census, American Community Survey and Gullah Geechee Cultural Preservation Project report.
“This is the first time that we are assembling this level of data,” Director of Planning Missy Luick said.
Here are the top seven demographic findings from the report:
- The full-time resident population of the Island is plateauing amid intense regional growth.
- Households are getting smaller, and older, and are less likely to include school-age children.
- The number of people on the Island can vary significantly from its full-time population based on the time of day or the time of year.
- The average age on the Island is getting older and the 55+ segment is driving a modest increase in population.
- The Town is a relatively diverse community, but there has been a long-term decrease in the overall share of African American residents.
- The Hispanic community is growing at the fastest rate of any ethnic segment, both locally and regionally.
- Foreign-born residents are a growing segment and mostly from Latin America.
Population plateau
Hilton Head’s population is plateauing at 37,660 full-time residents after immense growth in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, especially compared to Bluffton and Hardeeville.
The island population only grew 11% between 2000 and 2020 compared to Beaufort County as a whole growing 55%, Bluffton growing 2,074% and Hardeeville growing 317%. In Georgia, the Savannah metropolitan area grew 45% between 2000 and 2020.
Smaller and older households
More people in Hilton Head are living alone or live in a household where everyone is over 65 years old, shifting the population to be less likely to include school-aged children.
Households over 65 were up 50% and persons living alone were up 57% between 2000 and 2020. It makes for smaller average household sizes, which decreased 4.3% to 2.2%, compared to 1% for Beaufort County between 2000 and 2020.
Varying population
On any given day, there are more than 8,500 visitors on Hilton Head, not including second-home owners or workers. In full, more than 3.1 million people visit throughout the year.
Workers are the highest percentage of the island’s daytime population, then non-working full-time residents, then visitors.
On average there are about 53,500 people on the Island each day. The most recent breakdown is from 2021 when Hilton Head’s 48,911 daytime population was:
- 21,585 workers
- 8,575 visitors
- 18,751 non-working residents
Average age
The island population is getting older and the school-age population is decreasing.
Islander’s median age moved from 26 to 58 in between 2000 and 2020. During that period, 9,000 new residents over 55 moved to Hilton Head. Every other age segment decreased in size.
The 65 and over segment increased 80%, accounting for 6,500 new residents during that time. It’s consistent with Beaufort County, which grew by 175% in the older segment.
Notably, residents under 18 are decreasing, accounting for Beaufort County schools losing 400 students from 2012 to 2022. The most students were lost below second grade.
Decrease in African American residents
Hilton Head is rich with Gullah Geechee history, but the percentage of African Americans on the island has decreased by 400 residents from 2000 to 2020. It moves the total percentage down from 8% to 6%.
This doesn’t mean that the segment of white islanders is getting larger. Islanders who identify as white decreased from 85% of the population in 2000 to 79% in 2020.
Increases come partially from residents who identify as “other” or as “two or more races,” which increased from 6% to 13% during the same time.
Hispanic community
Hilton Head’s Hispanic community is growing faster than any other population on the island, mirroring regional and national trends. Islanders who identify as Hispanic or Latino rose by 28.2% between 2000 and 2020 from 3,934 to 5,045.
The Beaufort County School District has the third-largest Hispanic student population in South Carolina, and Hispanic students make up almost half of the public school population. The district has the third largest Hispanic student population in South Carolina, with about 7,000 students concentrated mostly on Hilton Head and in Bluffton. Only Greenville and Horry counties’ school systems educate more of these students.
About one in every three students is multilingual and developing fluency in English at Hilton Head Island Middle and High Schools. Less than 33% of those students were language proficient in 2020, falling at least 11 percentage points behind their South Carolinian peers.
Foreign-born residents
A little under 12% of Hilton Head residents were born outside the the United States, with 66% of this group migrating from Latin America. Europeans represent 18% of the total foreign-born population.
Do you represent any of these trends? Reach out to reporter Mary Dimitrov at mdimitrov@islandpacket.com. This article is one in a series of explorations of the demographic changes happening in the Beaufort County area. Other installments are coming soon.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 9:02 AM.
