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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Pawleys Island, SC
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Pawleys Island profile


Living in Pawleys Island



Pawleys Island is a tiny coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 133 people and five associated neighborhoods, Pawleys Island is the 282nd largest community in South Carolina.

Pawleys Island home prices are not only among the most expensive in South Carolina, but Pawleys Island real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Pawleys Island is also a town of artists. Pawleys Island has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Pawleys Island’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Pawleys Island telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 28.57% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Pawleys Island is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

In addition, Pawleys Island is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Pawleys Island has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Pawleys Island a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

Pawleys Island is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Pawleys Island is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Pawleys Island, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Pawleys Island is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 79.41% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Pawleys Island in 2018 was $146,647, which is wealthy relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $586,588 for a family of four.

The people who call Pawleys Island home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Pawleys Island residents report their race to be White. Important ancestries of people in Pawleys Island include English, Irish, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and German.

The most common language spoken in Pawleys Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include African languages and Arabic.