Hilton Head Island Economy

Hilton Head Statistics

Hilton Head Island's economy is primarily tourism and real estate driven. More than $1.5 billion impacted the Hilton Head Island / Bluffton economy in 2000. 2.5 million visitors came, several hundred of whom made the move permanent. Presently, there are more than 600 full-time real estate executives working on the Island. 61% of local jobs are tourism-related. Approximately 43 percent of the 5,000 licensed Island enterprises are retail and service-oriented companies. Retail operations and restaurants in particular have flourished in the Hilton Head Island/ Bluffton-Okatie area. (Information is from Hilton Head Tourism Statistics) Tourism pumps more than $1.5 billion into the Hilton Head Island area economy annually. Sales taxes paid by visitors total $47 million. Taxes paid by tourists save every South Carolina taxpayer more than $200 each year in state taxes.