The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Beaufort County is a county of South Carolina with 195,289 residents. Its economy produced $12,873 million in 2024 (ranked #9 of 46 counties) and had 71,044 jobs with an average annual pay of $54,768 (#15 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2026M09. It is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metropolitan area (central county).
Beaufort County produced about $12,873 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 3.6% of the combined output of the 46 counties of South Carolina that BEA reports (about 3.7% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 9th of 46 on that measure. Per resident that is $65,917, about the same as the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $67,421. In current dollars output grew 6.2% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 71,044 jobs located in Beaufort County on average in 2024, spread over 7,748 employer sites (about 9 jobs per site). That is 0.36 jobs for every resident, above the 0.32 of the typical county in South Carolina, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $54,768, 7% below the average of all counties in the state ($54,768 against $58,884). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.3% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (22.4% of private jobs, $32,521 a year on average), retail trade (19.2% of private jobs, $38,313 a year on average), health care and social assistance (12.3% of private jobs, $59,255 a year on average). Together they hold 53.9% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $94,287 a year, followed by construction ($70,533). The county is specialised in several industries: arts, entertainment, recreation (2.6 times the US share, 3,143 jobs); real estate and rental (2.1 times the US share, 2,340 jobs); accommodation and food services (2.1 times the US share, 13,483 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($32,521), retail trade ($38,313). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Beaufort County was 3.5%, 6% below the average of the state's counties (3.5% against 3.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 87,479. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.3% (2026M04) to 5.3% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $86,573 (ACS 2020–2024), 25% above the state median ($86,573 against $69,324). The guide covers 4 cities with this as the main county: Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Port Royal, Beaufort. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,212 in Beaufort to $2,256 in Bluffton, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Beaufort County in output are York County, Berkeley County, Anderson County, Aiken County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 46 counties of South Carolina ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 195,289 | 10 of 46 |
| GDP 2024 | $12,873 million | 9 of 46 |
| GDP per resident | $65,917 | 9 of 46 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 71,044 | 9 of 46 |
| Average annual pay | $54,768 | 15 of 46 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.3% | 28 of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.5% | 9 of 46 |
| Median household income | $86,573 | 3 of 46 |
Federal jobs in South Carolina (373) →All cities of South CarolinaState guide: South Carolina
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Beaufort County (and 1 more that extend into it).
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island | 37,911 | $94,657 | $1,479 | $687,400 | 56.1% |
| Bluffton | 33,157 | $111,281 | $2,256 | $492,100 | 52.0% |
| Port Royal | 15,579 | $74,870 | $1,726 | $347,200 | 38.4% |
| Beaufort | 13,747 | $61,220 | $1,212 | $345,400 | 39.6% |
| Hardeeville | 10,871 | $78,365 | $1,406 | $488,900 | 42.6% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 13,483 | 22.4% | $32,521 | 2.09 |
| Retail trade | 11,570 | 19.2% | $38,313 | 1.63 |
| Health care and social assistance | 7,391 | 12.3% | $59,255 | 0.73 |
| Construction | 4,468 | 7.4% | $70,533 | 1.20 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 4,188 | 7.0% | $48,111 | 1.96 |
| Administrative and waste services | 3,862 | 6.4% | $47,530 | 0.92 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,611 | 6.0% | $94,287 | 0.73 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 3,143 | 5.2% | $36,113 | 2.63 |
| Real estate and rental | 2,340 | 3.9% | $61,854 | 2.12 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,772 | 2.9% | $119,469 | 0.61 |
| Educational services | 1,036 | 1.7% | $47,393 | 0.71 |
| Manufacturing | 1,018 | 1.7% | $68,670 | 0.17 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 839 | 1.4% | $48,461 | 0.28 |
| Wholesale trade | 731 | 1.2% | $102,236 | 0.26 |
| Information | 411 | 0.7% | $88,852 | 0.31 |
| Management of companies | 202 | 0.3% | $112,246 | 0.17 |
| Utilities | 172 | 0.3% | $84,298 | 0.64 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 87,479 |
| Employed residents | 84,454 |
| Unemployed residents | 3,025 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 71,044 |
| Employer sites | 7,748 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County | 548,166 | $48,738 million | $88,910 | 296,981 | $63,216 | 3.2% |
| Richland County | 422,117 | $37,438 million | $88,691 | 227,771 | $62,784 | 3.9% |
| Charleston County | 420,264 | $50,462 million | $120,072 | 278,476 | $68,271 | 3.0% |
| Horry County | 383,016 | $22,774 million | $59,461 | 144,489 | $48,046 | 4.2% |
| Spartanburg County | 347,852 | $22,980 million | $66,062 | 155,484 | $59,564 | 3.7% |
| Lexington County | 304,887 | $19,752 million | $64,785 | 132,596 | $56,005 | 3.2% |
| York County | 293,673 | $19,235 million | $65,497 | 104,775 | $61,068 | 3.7% |
| Berkeley County | 246,802 | $14,302 million | $57,949 | 66,943 | $68,211 | 3.3% |
| Anderson County | 210,478 | $10,558 million | $50,162 | 72,695 | $51,737 | 3.7% |
| Beaufort County | 195,289 | $12,873 million | $65,917 | 71,044 | $54,768 | 3.5% |
| Aiken County | 174,160 | $10,365 million | $59,513 | 65,165 | $63,331 | 3.6% |
| Dorchester County | 167,201 | $6,706 million | $40,110 | 41,444 | $53,559 | 3.3% |
| Florence County | 137,117 | $9,981 million | $72,793 | 68,848 | $52,861 | 4.1% |
| Pickens County | 134,629 | $6,019 million | $44,709 | 39,859 | $53,824 | 3.2% |
| Sumter County | 104,725 | $6,288 million | $60,041 | 35,179 | $53,273 | 4.8% |
| Lancaster County | 104,475 | $5,253 million | $50,281 | 28,110 | $64,550 | 4.0% |
| Orangeburg County | 83,253 | $4,007 million | $48,134 | 27,859 | $54,283 | 4.8% |
| Oconee County | 80,469 | $5,243 million | $65,150 | 25,478 | $57,970 | 3.5% |
| Greenwood County | 69,489 | $4,899 million | $70,497 | 27,679 | $53,318 | 4.2% |
| Laurens County | 68,666 | $2,914 million | $42,436 | 20,195 | $51,561 | 3.6% |
| Kershaw County | 68,314 | $3,417 million | $50,019 | 18,335 | $49,084 | 3.8% |
| Georgetown County | 64,811 | $4,016 million | $61,964 | 26,006 | $50,335 | 4.4% |
| Darlington County | 62,558 | $3,416 million | $54,601 | 20,044 | $57,913 | 4.5% |
| Cherokee County | 56,647 | $2,342 million | $41,340 | 18,064 | $48,261 | 5.7% |
| Chesterfield County | 43,784 | $1,902 million | $43,435 | 14,200 | $49,211 | 4.5% |
| Colleton County | 38,783 | $1,497 million | $38,603 | 10,285 | $48,150 | 4.0% |
| Newberry County | 38,435 | $2,034 million | $52,922 | 14,366 | $49,024 | 3.7% |
| Chester County | 32,182 | $1,822 million | $56,610 | 10,409 | $58,462 | 4.9% |
| Jasper County | 32,166 | $2,148 million | $66,764 | 10,961 | $53,877 | 3.7% |
| Clarendon County | 30,986 | $962 million | $31,062 | 6,694 | $41,194 | 5.1% |
| Williamsburg County | 30,282 | $1,067 million | $35,223 | 6,318 | $49,566 | 6.4% |
| Marion County | 28,664 | $901 million | $31,424 | 7,064 | $46,706 | 6.0% |
| Dillon County | 27,862 | $1,039 million | $37,289 | 9,504 | $41,958 | 5.1% |
| Edgefield County | 27,476 | $894 million | $32,534 | 6,014 | $52,678 | 3.2% |
| Union County | 26,885 | $905 million | $33,656 | 7,424 | $48,510 | 6.0% |
| Marlboro County | 25,975 | $965 million | $37,160 | 5,591 | $53,857 | 6.3% |
| Abbeville County | 24,420 | $846 million | $34,648 | 5,772 | $49,349 | 4.6% |
| Fairfield County | 20,550 | $1,423 million | $69,222 | 6,051 | $62,001 | 5.0% |
| Barnwell County | 20,521 | $701 million | $34,153 | 4,864 | $43,379 | 5.1% |
| Saluda County | 19,131 | $643 million | $33,619 | 4,733 | $46,825 | 3.2% |
| Hampton County | 18,254 | $692 million | $37,933 | 4,867 | $50,768 | 4.0% |
| Lee County | 16,166 | $507 million | $31,381 | 3,667 | $49,604 | 5.8% |
| Calhoun County | 14,182 | $911 million | $64,228 | 4,558 | $60,842 | 3.9% |
| Bamberg County | 13,042 | $510 million | $39,136 | 3,556 | $46,983 | 4.7% |
| McCormick County | 9,760 | $331 million | $33,883 | 2,064 | $42,438 | 5.2% |
| Allendale County | 7,661 | $398 million | $51,986 | 2,515 | $54,102 | 6.0% |
195,289 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$12,873 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.5% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
71,044 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $54,768 (BLS QCEW).