Housing data for Kiawah Island, SC
Kiawah Island, SC has an estimated 2,326 residents and 3,865 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Charleston County.
1.1% of households rent.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+38.8%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,326 (±297)
- Housing units
- 3,865 (±286)
- Households that rent
- 1.1%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +38.8%
What stands out in Kiawah Island
Rental vacancy rate: 84.6% (±12.8 points) in Kiawah Island, higher than in Charleston County (11.7%).
Median real estate taxes: $8,349 (±$1,836) in Kiawah Island, higher than in Charleston County ($1,901).
Median household income: $213,594 (±$44,182) in Kiawah Island, higher than in Charleston County ($88,494).
Working from home: 44.2% (±13.2 points) in Kiawah Island, higher than in Charleston County (17.7%).
- Property taxes in Kiawah Island
- Income and affordability in Kiawah Island
- Commute and cars in Kiawah Island
Housing in Kiawah Island at a glance
- Rent burden: 0.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 1.1% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $213,594 median household income
- Home values: $2,000,000 or more median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $8,349 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 24.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 75.8% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 20.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 84.6% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 83.6% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 32.1 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +38.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 21.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Kiawah Island against Charleston County, its state and the nation
| Kiawah Island | Charleston County | South Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,326 (±297) | 420,264 (exact) | 5,296,225 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 3,865 (±286) | 209,803 (±117) | 2,443,039 (±311) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 1.1% (±1.1 points) | 36.1% (±1.0 points) | 28.1% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,620 (±$36) | $1,180 (±$9) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $213,594 (±$44,182) | $88,494 (±$1,950) | $69,324 (±$570) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $2,000,000 or more | $489,100 (±$9,282) | $259,000 (±$1,421) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $8,349 (±$1,836) | $1,901 (±$31) | $1,251 (±$7) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 20.4% (±4.4 points) | 34.5% (±1.1 points) | 32.8% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 32.1 minutes (±5.7) | 25.1 minutes (±0.5) | 25.6 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 97.3% (±1.7 points) | 88.9% (±0.8 points) | 88.8% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 66.8 years (±2.0) | 39.2 years (±0.3) | 40.2 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Kiawah Island covers 11.2 square miles of land, about 208 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Kiawah Island has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,676 (±154) | 2,326 (±297) | +38.8% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 3,563 (±104) | 3,865 (±286) | +8.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Median household income | $193,750 (±$63,034) | $213,594 (±$44,182) | +10.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $7,510 (±$1,016) | $8,349 (±$1,836) | +11.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 3.2% (±2.5 points) | 1.1% (±1.1 points) | −2.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 63.4% (±19.0 points) | 84.6% (±12.8 points) | +21.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
ZIP codes in Kiawah Island
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29455 | 11% | 27,576 | $1,567 | $590,800 | $121,372 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Kiawah Island
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folly Beach | 6.9 mi | $1,844 | $1,000,000 | 5.3% |
| Seabrook Island | 7.6 mi | $3,500 or more | $1,001,400 | 4.2% |
| Rockville | 7.7 mi | $2,083 | $459,100 | 8.6% |
| James Island | 11 mi | $1,695 | $508,600 | 12.5% |
| Hollywood | 12 mi | $1,625 | $460,100 | 11.3% |
| Meggett | 13 mi | — | $714,100 | 6.5% |
| Ravenel | 15 mi | $1,115 | $238,700 | 13.5% |
| Charleston | 15 mi | $1,722 | $509,700 | 44.4% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Kiawah Island, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,661 | $1,731 | $1,884 | $2,336 | $2,687 |
HUD income limits for Kiawah Island, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $24,700 | $41,150 | $65,800 |
| 2 people | $28,200 | $47,000 | $75,200 |
| 3 people | $31,750 | $52,900 | $84,600 |
| 4 people | $35,250 | $58,750 | $94,000 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $63,450 | $101,550 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $68,150 | $109,050 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $72,850 | $116,600 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $77,550 | $124,100 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $117,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
What you can do on Seayora in Kiawah Island
One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.
Own or manage a rental?
List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Kiawah Island beside you.
Create a landlord account · See what landlords get
Looking for a place to rent?
Browse homes for rent near Kiawah Island, save the ones you like and apply online.
Browse rentals · Create a renter account
Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?
Get found by owners and renters near Kiawah Island, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.
Questions about Kiawah Island
What is the median household income in Kiawah Island?
The median household income in Kiawah Island is $213,594 (±$44,182) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Kiawah Island, SC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $2,000,000 or more for owner-occupied homes in Kiawah Island (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Kiawah Island?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Kiawah Island, SC is $4,000 or more a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Kiawah Island?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Kiawah Island, SC is $8,349 (±$1,836) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Kiawah Island?
Kiawah Island, SC has an estimated 3,865 (±286) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Kiawah Island?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 29.7% of homes in Kiawah Island, SC.
Is Kiawah Island growing?
In Kiawah Island, the number of residents went from 1,676 in 2015–2019 to 2,326 in 2020–2024 (+38.8%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Kiawah Island?
The ZIP code that covers Kiawah Island is 29455.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 29455?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 29455 is $1,567 (±$169) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Kiawah Island town, South Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Kiawah Island town, South Carolina (place:38162, in state:45).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .