Hilton Head Island, SC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Hilton Head Island

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Hilton Head Island leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.

 

About 82% of adults in Hilton Head Island typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hilton Head Island, ~37% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Hilton Head Island compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Hilton Head Island leans more Republican than 16 of 28 neighbors.

Hilton Head Island runs about 7 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Hilton Head Island. The south side is the most split-leaning (R+20) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 18 points.

Why Hilton Head Island leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Hilton Head Island, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Hilton Head Island votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 55%, far above the South Carolina average of 24%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Hilton Head Island, SC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.

Why turnout in Hilton Head Island looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Hilton Head Island is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.

Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.

Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.