PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC

41.9
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#303
of 387 metros
22%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Hilton Head Island ranks #303 of 387 US metros, ahead of 22% - carried by its safety (97/100) and held back most by rent (14/100).

97
strongest: Safety
70
then: Childcare
14
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Hilton Head Island sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 22th percentile higher than 22% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Hilton Head Island Life Score

Hilton Head Island's composite score of 41.9 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #303 of 387, ahead of 22% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (97/100) and Childcare (70/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (14/100) and Schools (27/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 98.0 (rent-RPP 101.2). BLS median salary $63,019, 77,390 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,816/mo (studio $1,582).

FBI UCR (SC): 439 violent, 1988 property/100K. NCES: 14.3:1 ratio, 7.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,732/yr. EPA: 34 Superfund sites (SC). Ranks #300-#306 below.

Dimension detail

How Hilton Head Island scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 29/100 (20%)
Wages 29/100 (20%)
Rent 14/100 (15%)
Safety 97/100 (15%)
Schools 27/100 (10%)
Childcare 70/100 (10%)
Environment 39/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

98.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,019
Avg Median Salary
$1,816
2BR Fair Market Rent
439
Violent Crime/100K (SC)
14.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,732
Infant Childcare/yr (SC)
34
Superfund Sites (SC)
77,390
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Hilton Head Island With...

Hilton Head Island vs Spartanburg Compare → Hilton Head Island vs Sumter Compare → Hilton Head Island vs Florence Compare → Hilton Head Island vs Wildwood Compare → Hilton Head Island vs Waterloo Compare → Hilton Head Island vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Hilton Head Island outranks 22% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#300 Worcester, MA 42.1 C
#301 Abilene, TX 42.1 C
#302 Rochester, NY 42.3 C
#303 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 41.9 C
#304 Bangor, ME 41.9 C
#305 Hinesville, GA 41.9 C
#306 Kankakee, IL 41.9 C

SC Metro Scores

Spartanburg, SC A 64.4 Sumter, SC A- 60.5 Florence, SC A- 60.2 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC A- 59.2 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC B+ 58.5 Columbia, SC B 52.6

Using Hilton Head Island's Life Score

Hilton Head Island is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is safety (97/100) and its weakest is rent (14/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Hilton Head Island head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Hilton Head Island lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Hilton Head Island's biggest strengths? ▼
Hilton Head Island's strongest dimensions are Safety (97/100), Childcare (70/100), Environment (39/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Hilton Head Island's weakest areas? ▼
Hilton Head Island's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (14/100), Schools (27/100), Wages (29/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Hilton Head Island compared to the national average? ▼
Hilton Head Island's Regional Price Parity is 98.0 (2.0% less than national); rent RPP 101.2.
What is the average salary in Hilton Head Island? ▼
Hilton Head Island median salary: $63,019, 77,390 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Hilton Head Island's 41.9/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.