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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 28.57% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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 a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Pawleys Island’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

In addition, Pawleys Island is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

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.

One of the nice things about Pawleys Island is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

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 2022 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.