Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety45#8,575/15,637
Economy68#5,006/15,631
Housing44#8,342/14,977
Health77#3,643/15,609
Healthcare57#6,652/15,650
Environment13#13,401/15,453
Education61#6,087/15,649
Infrastructure92#1,276/15,650
Community69#4,875/15,651
Leisure & amenities93#1,049/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Port Royal, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Beaufort County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Dentists · high127 /100k
98/100South Carolina 60 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBeaufort County value
Average commute time · low14.4 min
97/100South Carolina 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Loneliness · low29.4%
96/100South Carolina 32.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · high15.6 /10k
96/100South Carolina 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBeaufort County value
Comfortable days · high35.4%
95/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBeaufort County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.7 /10k
93/100South Carolina 5.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBeaufort County value

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high99.3
0/100South Carolina 51.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBeaufort County value
Drought exposure · high81%
12/100South Carolina 72%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABeaufort County value
Homicide rate · high7.0 /100k
17/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBeaufort County value
Home price to income ratio · high4.6×
24/100South Carolina 3.7×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Reading scores · low2.89
27/100South Carolina 2.93United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBeaufort County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high194 min
27/100South Carolina 163 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBeaufort County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
12,770 (2015-2019) → 15,579 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
37.6 /1k (2021) → 4.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−89%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
62.3% (2015-2019) → 46.8% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.5% (2015-2019) → 95.6% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$49,797 (2015-2019) → $74,870 (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
37.7% (2015-2019) → 29.1% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Port Royal, South Carolina improved on 5 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved5

Rent / income−8.6 points37.7% → 29.1%
Rent burden−15 points62.3% → 46.8%
Commute−4.6 min19.0 min → 14.4 min
Household income+50%$49,797 → $74,870
Broadband+11 points84.5% → 95.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Port Royal, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.0 min2015-2019	14.4 min2020-2024	−4.6 min	Improved	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.7%2015-2019	38.4%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Broadband subscriptions	84.5%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	18.1%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Effective property tax rate	0.83%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	95.1%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	81%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3862015-2019	0.3852020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$49,7972015-2019	$74,8702020-2024	+50%	Improved	85%
Poverty rate	10.6%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent as share of income	37.7%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Improved	91%
Rent-burdened households	62.3%2015-2019	46.8%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	90%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.8%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	84%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Port Royal, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Port Royal, South Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Port Royal, South Carolina itself moved +13.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

15,579 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

15,579 residents (±32)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White57%8,842
Black14%†2,125
Hispanic or Latino21%3,330
Asian2.1%†334
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.1%†948

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (+8.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

7,829 residents (±551)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma6.7%†526
High school or GED21%1,639
Some college19%1,467
Associate degree15%1,192
Bachelor's degree19%1,518
Graduate degree19%1,487

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−8.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,676 households (±360)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k11%†504
$25k–50k19%†909
$50k–75k20%†935
$75k–100k16%†737
$100k–150k22%†1,028
$150k–200k7.3%†343
$200k or more4.7%†220

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−19.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,676 households (±360)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own38%1,780
Rent62%2,896

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,750 households (±413)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $7500.9%†26
$750–1,0004.1%†114
$1,000–1,50030%†

Home values

1,780 homes (±328)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k9.2%†163
$150k–250k20%†348
$250k–400k35%†618

Age of homes

5,111 homes (±411)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later46%2,332
2000–200920%†1,031
1980–199920%1,005

Size of homes

5,111 homes (±411)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio2.8%†143
1 bedroom9.5%†484
2 bedrooms35%1,774

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

9,440 workers (±546)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone60%5,637
Carpool16%1,519
Public transit0.3%†26
Walk11%†992
Bike0.1%†11
Work from home12%†1,106
Other1.6%†149

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (+7.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

8,334 workers (±696)

Port Royal, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min59%4,947
15–29 min24%2,009
30–44 min11%†936

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Beaufort County, the county holding most of Port Royal's residents.

Beaufort County has 6,087 employer establishments, 305 for every 10,000 residents (1.23× the US rate of 248; 1.34× South Carolina's), with 59,121 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,945. The Census Bureau also counts 22,315 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,087; 22,315 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 305; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 59,121
Average annual pay: $46,945; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Beaufort County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Lessors of real estate	594	29.7	2.41×More than typical	1,881	$56,385	3,153
Restaurants and other eating places	498	24.9	1.36×More than typical	9,595	$26,848	132
Specialty trade contractors	495	24.8	1.60×More than typical	2,422	$58,214	1,789
Ambulatory health care services	472	23.6	1.13×About typical	3,813	$60,691	877
Real estate agents and brokers	360	18	3.70×More than typical	661	$71,679	1,101
Full-service restaurants	303	15.2	1.98×More than typical	6,657	$29,472	77
Services to buildings and dwellings	297	14.9	2.21×More than typical	2,179	$44,119	1,979
Construction of buildings	243	12.2	1.61×More than typical	1,592	$62,398	585
Legal services	167	8.4	1.56×More than typical	677	$82,145	230
Clothing and accessories stores	166	8.3	2.29×More than typical	1,507	$24,815	163
Landscaping services	149	7.5	2.13×More than typical	1,239	$45,734	493
Offices of physicians	149	7.5	1.15×About typical	949	$77,400	216

Rank places for an industry Open Beaufort County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 199,700 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $287.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Port Royal, South Carolina: $18,449 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $287.4M; +810% vs FY2025
Per resident: $18,449; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.6%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$283.4M99%
Defense Logistics Agency$2M0.7%
Defense Health Agency$1.1M0.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs$676.4K0.2%
National Park Service$99.7K0.0%
Department of the Army$88.9K0.0%
National Institutes of Health$12.5K0.0%
Department of Defense Education Activity$1,7530.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

45.1MFY2017
59.8MFY2018
85.8MFY2019
74.3MFY2020
51.8MFY2021
100.1MFY2022
54.6MFY2023
57.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$234.1M81%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$36.1M13%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$9.3M3.3%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$1.7M0.6%
Personal and household goods repair and maintenance · 8114$1.1M0.4%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Port Royal, South Carolina

P440 / 441 RECRUIT BARRACKS, MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, PARRIS ISLAND, SC$156.1M
BL HARBERT INTERNATIONAL LLC· Beaufort County, SC· Construction & real property· May 29, 2026 – May 29, 2026· N4008526C0013
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES TO REPLACE DENTAL CLINIC WITH BACK UP POWER TO SUPPORT RECRUITS AND ACTIVE-DUTY MEMBERS AT THE MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA.$70.3M
BL HARBERT INTERNATIONAL LLC· Beaufort County, SC· Construction & real property· May 19, 2026 – May 19, 2026· N4008526C0012
PERFORMANCE PERIOD SERVICES$66.6M
AMERESCO INC· Beaufort County, SC· Professional services· Dec 28, 2016 – May 1, 2026· N3943017F1901

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Port Royal, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Port Royal, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Beaufort County, SC ($382M in FY2026), never added to them: 75% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Port Royal is mostly in Beaufort County.

See federal money in Beaufort County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Port Royal, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Nancy MaceR-SC-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 17.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Beaufort County72100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC76

Other cities and towns in Beaufort County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4558030

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends