Another notable thing is that Pawleys Island is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.
In addition, Pawleys Island is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.
Because of many things, Pawleys Island is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Pawleys Island a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Pawleys Island has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Pawleys Island’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, Pawleys Island is worth considering.
Pawleys Island is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Pawleys Island spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.21 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.
If knowledge is power, Pawleys Island is a pretty powerful place. 88.02% of the adults in Pawleys Island have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Pawleys Island in 2022 was $116,778, which is wealthy relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $467,112 for a family of four. However, Pawleys Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
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, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Pawleys Island include English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Swedish.
The most common language spoken in Pawleys Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include African languages and Arabic.
