Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metropolitan area receives an AI displacement risk score of 77 out of 100, placing it at rank #27 among 393 US metros. This is 7 points above the national metro average of 70, reflecting moderately elevated risk. An estimated 28,540 workers — 34.9% of the workforce — hold positions in occupations highly susceptible to automation. This vulnerability rate exceeds the national average of 29.5% by 5.4 percentage points.

The primary driver of risk in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal is the concentration of employment in Retail, an industry where routine tasks, data processing, and customer interactions are increasingly being handled by AI systems. Among the most at-risk occupations in the area are Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers, and Office Clerks, General — roles where advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and robotic process automation are already reducing demand. The metro's heavy service sector concentration (43.4% vs 31.3% nationally) amplifies vulnerability, as customer-facing and back-office roles are prime targets for AI automation.

Below-average wages ($52K vs $60K nationally) may slow automation adoption due to lower ROI on AI investment, but also leave workers with fewer resources for career transitions. Workers in this metro should consider developing complementary AI skills, exploring transition paths to lower-risk occupations, and leveraging local workforce development resources.