Beaufort County is a county in South Carolina, United States, on the state’s Lowcountry coast among the Sea Islands. It had a population of 187,117 at the 2020 census and covers 923 square miles (2,392 km2), of which 576 square miles is land and 347 square miles is tidal marsh and open water, centred near 32°22′N 80°41′W.
Beaufort is the county seat, and its postal code is 29902. Hilton Head Island is the county’s largest community. Beaufort County contains five incorporated municipalities, ten U.S. Census Bureau-designated places, and dozens of unincorporated communities and gated developments. The county sits in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Beaufort County
The table below lists Beaufort County’s five incorporated cities and towns, its ten census-designated places, and the named unincorporated communities, subdivisions and plantations carried over from the county’s place-name records. City · seat marks the seat of county government; CDP marks a census-designated place with no municipal government of its own; Unincorp. marks a named place with no incorporation and no separately tabulated census count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | City · seat | 13,607 | 29901–29907 |
| Bluffton | Town | — | 29909, 29910 |
| Hilton Head Island | Town | — | 29925, 29926, 29928, 29938 |
| Port Royal | Town | — | 29935 |
| Yemassee | Town | — | — |
| Burton | CDP | 6,777 | — |
| Dale | CDP | 633 | 29914 |
| Daufuskie Island | CDP | 557 | 29915 |
| Fripp Island | CDP | 963 | — |
| Harbor Island | CDP | 209 | — |
| Laurel Bay | CDP | 5,082 | — |
| Lobeco | CDP | 292 | 29931 |
| Seabrook | CDP | 1,255 | 29940 |
| Sheldon | CDP | 579 | 29941 |
| Shell Point | CDP | 2,281 | — |
| Academy Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ashdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Attaway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Baileys Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barrell Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Battery Marina Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bay Pines | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blue Heron Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bluff Farm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bon Aire | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bram Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brewton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Briars | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brighton Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Broad River Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bryan Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buckingham Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Calibogue Cay | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Capehart Housing Project | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Reef Villas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chelsea | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cherry Hill Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cherry Point Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chesterfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chisolm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colonial Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colony Gardens Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cooper River Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coosaw | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Copp Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Country Club Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Daniels | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dataw Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Daufuskie Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dowlingwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairway Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Folly Field | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forest Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forest Fields | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Fremont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fripp Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frogmore | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gardens Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gator Field | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gay Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grasslawn Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grays Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Pond | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenwood Forest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Harbour Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hazel Farm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Heritage Woods | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hickory Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hickory Forest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hilton Head Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Honey Horn Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horse Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indigo Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Irongate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| James Byrnes Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lands End | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lawton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lighthouse Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Long Cove Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Longwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lucy Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Magnolia Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mariners Watch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mark Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marsh Harbor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marsh Hawk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mink Point Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morgan River Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Myrtle Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nautical Watch Villas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakmont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakwood Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Opossum Point Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Orange Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Otter Hole | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Palmetto Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Palmetto Dunes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Palmetto Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Palmetto Hall Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Partridge Woods | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Peace Haven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pepper Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinckney Colony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinckney Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Hill Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinewood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Farm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Point Comfort | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Point Comfort Woods | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Polk Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Port Royal Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Port Royal Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pritchard | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pritchardville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Quail Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Quail Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Bluff Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Oak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| River Reach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rivers Edge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverwind | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rose Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Roseida | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Royal Pines Country Club Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salem Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salt Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sangster Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Scott | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sea Pines | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sea Pines Circle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sea Pines Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seabrook Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shelter Cove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sherwood Forest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shipyard Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Beach Villas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spanish Wells | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Springfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tanglewood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tomotley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walling Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walnut Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walsh | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Waterford Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wexford Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| White Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wilkins | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Windmill Harbor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wood Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yacht Club Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
Several place names in the county are easy to confuse: Port Royal (the incorporated town) is distinct from the unincorporated Port Royal Landing and Port Royal Plantation developments on Hilton Head Island, and Shell Point (the CDP) is separate from Shell Point Park, a boat landing dropped from the table above as a duplicate.
ZIP Codes
- 29901–29904, 29906, 29907 — Beaufort
- 29909 — Okatie
- 29910 — Bluffton
- 29914 — Dale (PO Box)
- 29915 — Daufuskie Island
- 29920 — Saint Helena Island
- 29925, 29926, 29928, 29938 — Hilton Head Island
- 29931 — Lobeco (PO Box)
- 29935 — Port Royal
- 29940 — Seabrook
- 29941 — Sheldon
Most of the unincorporated communities and gated developments listed above have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office town shown above.
Geography
Beaufort County occupies the South Carolina Lowcountry, a network of tidal marsh, barrier and Sea Islands cut by the Broad, Coosaw, Combahee and May rivers before they reach the Atlantic. Roughly two-fifths of the county’s total area is water, and much of the developed land sits on Port Royal Island, Hilton Head Island, Lady’s Island and St. Helena Island, connected to the mainland by bridges and causeways.
Beaufort County borders Colleton County to the north, Jasper County to the west, and Hampton County to the northwest; the Atlantic Ocean forms its eastern and southern boundary.
Demographics
Beaufort County had 187,117 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a land area of 576 square miles for a density of roughly 325 people per square mile. Beaufort, the county seat, and Hilton Head Island, the largest community, together account for a large share of the county’s population, alongside fast-growing Bluffton on the mainland side of the May River. Beaufort County’s median household income runs above the South Carolina median of $67,804, reflecting a tourism- and military-driven economy with a large retiree population on Hilton Head Island and in the county’s gated golf communities.
Economy & Local Life
Beaufort County’s economy centres on tourism, the U.S. military and services. Hilton Head Island’s resorts, golf courses and beaches, and the historic waterfront of downtown Beaufort, draw visitors year-round, while Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort anchor a substantial share of local employment alongside the Beaufort County School District. Retailers and grocers including Food Lion, Kroger, Publix and Walmart, and hospitality employer Marriott, are among the county’s largest private employers. The county’s GDP reached roughly $10.8 billion in 2022, and unemployment stayed low, in the 2–4 percent range, through 2024.
History
Beaufort County traces its origin to the founding of the town of Beaufort in 1711, named for Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, an early proprietor of Carolina. During the Civil War, Union forces occupied Beaufort and the surrounding Sea Islands after the November 1861 Battle of Port Royal, and the area became the site of the Port Royal Experiment, an early effort to educate and pay formerly enslaved people for their labor on abandoned plantations — a legacy carried on today by the Penn Center on St. Helena Island. The county’s economy shifted from agriculture toward tourism and the military beginning in the mid-20th century, driven by the growth of the Marine Corps installations and the development of Hilton Head Island as a resort destination.
Getting There
U.S. Route 21 and U.S. Route 17 are the county’s main highways, with Interstate 95 crossing its northwestern corner near Point South and Yemassee. Nearby cities:
- Savannah, Georgia — 45 miles southwest
- Charleston — 70 miles northeast
- Hardeeville — 30 miles southwest
- Walterboro — 35 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Georgia; Hilton Head Island Airport offers limited regional service within the county itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Beaufort County located?
It is in the South Carolina Lowcountry, along the Atlantic coast between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia.
What is the population of Beaufort County?
Beaufort County had 187,117 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Beaufort County?
The county covers 923 square miles (2,392 km2), of which 576 square miles is land and 347 square miles is tidal marsh and open water.
What is the county seat of Beaufort County?
Beaufort is the county seat.
How many towns are in Beaufort County?
The county has five incorporated municipalities — the City of Beaufort and the towns of Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Port Royal and Yemassee — plus ten census-designated places.
What ZIP codes are in Beaufort County?
Beaufort County’s ZIP codes include 29901–29907 (Beaufort), 29909–29910 (Okatie and Bluffton), 29925–29926, 29928 and 29938 (Hilton Head Island), 29915 (Daufuskie Island), 29920 (St. Helena Island), 29935 (Port Royal), 29940 (Seabrook) and 29941 (Sheldon).
What military bases are in Beaufort County?
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort are both in Beaufort County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Carolina.