NAICS 23

Construction in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC

Metro Market Score 66.9 (Difficult), ranked #319 of 342 metros. 1,078 establishments, 5,954 jobs.

Metro Market Score 66.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's construction sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 9.7). That contraction, combined with a 66.9 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

86.0

LQ: 1.38

Rank #294 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

43.3

$71,005 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 9.7

Employment growth index

Rank #310 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

37.6

YoY wage change index

1,078 Construction Firms in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal

1,078

Establishments

+5.3% YoY

5,954

Total Employment

-5.1% YoY

$71,005

Average Annual Wage

+6.0% YoY

1.38

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within South Carolina

#8 of 8

construction metros in state

South Carolina state rank

#30 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+17.2

worse than median (49.8)

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #30/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal	SC Statewide
Overall Score	66.9 Difficult	47.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#319 of 342 metros	#30 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal

Healthcare and Social Assistance 39.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 51.6 Information 52.8 Finance and Insurance 53.4 Administrative and Support Services 59.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 59.9 Retail Trade 62.9 Other Services 71.7 Accommodation and Food Services 76.8

Construction in Other South Carolina Metros

Florence 26.4 #23/342 Columbia 30.8 #44/342 Spartanburg 37.5 #82/342 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 44.2 #139/342 Charleston-North Charleston 49.8 #189/342 Sumter 59.9 #283/342 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach 60.0 #285/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's 66.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 67.3 #320/342 Evansville, IN 66.1 #317/342 York-Hanover, PA 66.1 #318/342 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 68.0 #321/342 Ogden, UT 65.9 #316/342 Kahului-Wailuku, HI 68.1 #322/342 Springfield, MA 65.7 #315/342 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 68.3 #323/342 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 68.4 #324/342 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 65.3 #314/342

Construction in States Bordering South Carolina

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

North Carolina 38.2 #15/51 Georgia 42.1 #25/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal's construction sector, the employment growth component (90.3) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment