Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Beaufort County, SC

Welcome to Beaufort County.

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Beaufort County has a population of 189.1 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 923.5 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 40%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $10.8 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Beaufort County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Beaufort County comprises Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Beaufort.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Colleton County, Hampton County, and Jasper County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
39.61%57.9%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
38.93%60.34%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
44.14%54.92%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
40.72%58.24%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
40.93%54.66%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
44.38%54.37%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%40%
Government
Enterprises
22%19%
Private Industries78%46%
Agriculture<1%0%
Mining<1%0%
Utilities<1%137%
Construction6%51%
Manufacturing1%64%
– Durable1%82%
– Nondurable1%50%
Trade10%52%
– Wholesale1%44%
– Retail9%53%
Transportation1%84%
Information1%41%
Finance & Insurance4%74%
Real Estate24%53%
Professional &
Business Services
11%28%
Educational Services1%19%
Healthcare &
Social Services
6%31%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
2%90%
Accommodation &
Food Services
7%33%
Other Services24%36%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1870
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
6286
📺 Electronics & Appliance1471
🛒 Grocery Stores6186
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores3183
⚕️ Health & Personal Care5785
⛽ Gasoline Stations5784
👕 Clothing Stores12089
👠 Shoe Stores2377
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry1671
🏸 Sporting Goods2783
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers763
🏬 Department Stores3282
💐 Florists974
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops3386
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 960
🍺 Bars & Taverns1058
🍽️ Full-service restaurants28692
🍔 Limited-service restaurants14986
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers35594
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation6390
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%118%$218,100 N/A
Top 20%49%$145,000 $162,700
Next highest 20%26%$78,000 $96,500
Middle 20%15%$43,800 $58,700
Second lowest 20%8%$23,700 $33,500
Bottom 20%2%Below $10,000$14,400
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries64%$65,500
Self-Employment4%$24,400
Investment Income19%$20,400
Social Security37%$19,900
Supplemental Security8%$10,000
Public Assistance3%Below $10,000
Retirement28%$17,700
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%3%3%5%
$25K
– $49K
1%4%5%6%
$50K
– $99K
1%8%9%14%
$100K
– $199K
<1%6%10%10%
$200K
& more
<1%2%6%6%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$55,600 $30,200
African-American$31,800 $26,500
Hispanic$44,100
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$39,600 $37,800
Highschool & GED$48,500 $21,900
Some College to
Associate’s
$56,800 $32,400
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$90,100 $38,800
Graduate Degree$64,300 $66,900
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$64,700 $46,200
STEM2$58,800 $82,200
Gray-Collar3$46,500
Pink-Collar4Below $10,000$16,300
Sales5$91,000 $27,500
Blue-Collar6$53,500 $26,600
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding++$
Cold Waves
Drought+$
Earthquake++$
Hail++$
Heat Waves++$
Hurricane+$$$$
Ice Storm++$
Landslide+
Lightning+++$
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind+++$
Tornado++$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires++$
Winter Weather+++
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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