2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Fort Walton Beach, FL vs Hilton Head Island, SC

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Highlights
- Household income in Hilton Head Island, is 58% more than it is in Fort Walton Beach and is 21% above the National Average.
- Fort Walton Beach unemployment rate is 4.0%.
- Hilton Head Island unemployment rate is 3.4%.
 Fort Walton Beach, FLHilton Head Island, SCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.4%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth46.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,350  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$87,884$69,021
 Family Median Income$71,000  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Fort Walton Beach, FLHilton Head Island, SCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.8%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.5%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock6.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K11.2%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K12.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock19.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Fort Walton Beach, FLHilton Head Island, SCUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock5.5%6.5%
 Community, social services1.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.1%1.2%
 Education, library4.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.0%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock10.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance7.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.9%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.2%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair10.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.5%13.1%
Reviews for Fort Walton Beach    10 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

Ive lived in Fort Walton for atleast 15yrs.Ive seen the good days(early to late 200's)and now the bad.If you move here,youd better make atleast $10,000 a month.These  More

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I would like to know if Fort Walton Beach is a better place to live rather than busy Clearwater FL. We want to re-locate to a quieter city with all the amenities of a  More

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FWB is great for its beautiful beaches and saltwater fishing. It's also easy to move around town except during rush hour (yes, we have a rush hour - but it literally  More

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Reviews for Hilton Head Island    21 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Unfortunately Beaufort county is full of transplanted northerners who do nothing but whine and cry about everything. They leave the north to come to the south and then  More

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We got a second home on Hilton Head Island 10 years ago to get away from the Canadian winter weather. It took about 3 days to realize this is where we want to be  More

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I have watched HHI change remarkably in the 40 years I have lived there. Development really started in 1979 and the early residents were explorers and drop outs who  More

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