US Census Data

Isle of Palms vs James Island

A side-by-side comparison of Isle of Palms and James Island: population, income, housing, and more.

Isle of Palms and James Island are places in South Carolina. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.

James Island has the higher population (11,738 vs 4,350 in Isle of Palms). Isle of Palms has the higher median household income ($148,029 vs $100,176 in James Island). Isle of Palms has the higher median home value ($1,192,200 vs $454,200 in James Island).

Population, income & housing

Isle of PalmsJames Island
Population4,35011,738
Median age54.2 yrs41.3 yrs
Median household income$148,029$100,176
Median home value$1,192,200$454,200
Median gross rent$3,236$1,443
Housing units4,4854,683
Homeownership rate90.7%85.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher69.7%48.0%
Unemployment rate1.5%1.4%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

Isle of PalmsJames Island
Population4,360 → 4,350 (-0.2%)12,076 → 11,738 (-2.8%)
Median household income$122,228 → $148,029 (+21.1%)$81,674 → $100,176 (+22.7%)
Median home value$852,700 → $1,192,200 (+39.8%)$300,600 → $454,200 (+51.1%)
Median gross rent$1,994 → $3,236 (+62.3%)$1,374 → $1,443 (+5.0%)

Isle of Palms

Population
4,3604,350
Median household income
$122,228$148,029
Median home value
$852,700$1,192,200
Median gross rent
$1,994$3,236

James Island

Population
12,07611,738
Median household income
$81,674$100,176
Median home value
$300,600$454,200
Median gross rent
$1,374$1,443

Age & race/ethnicity

Age distribution (share)

Isle of PalmsJames Island
Under 53.4%6.3%
5 to 1712.7%16.0%
18 to 241.7%3.7%
25 to 347.9%6.8%
35 to 449.2%21.9%
45 to 5417.6%15.3%
55 to 6415.8%12.9%
65 to 7419.3%8.4%
75 and over12.4%8.7%

Race & ethnicity (share)

Isle of PalmsJames Island
White (non-Hispanic)97.1%82.6%
Black or African American0.0%12.1%
American Indian & Alaska Native0.0%0.0%
Asian2.1%0.3%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.0%0.0%
Some other race0.0%0.1%
Two or more races0.3%2.5%
Hispanic or Latino0.4%2.4%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

Isle of PalmsJames Island
No high school diploma0.2%6.1%
High school graduate4.6%21.7%
Some college or associate's25.5%24.2%
Bachelor's degree33.0%32.1%
Graduate or professional degree36.7%15.9%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

Isle of PalmsJames Island
Drove alone62.5%73.3%
Carpooled7.6%7.2%
Public transit0.5%0.3%
Walked0.6%1.5%
Bicycle1.4%0.2%
Worked from home26.5%15.1%
Other means0.9%2.3%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

Isle of PalmsJames Island
1-unit, detached71.7%92.7%
1-unit, attached4.3%1.9%
2 to 4 units1.7%2.1%
5 to 19 units6.5%1.2%
20 or more units15.9%0.0%
Mobile home & other0.0%2.1%

Poverty & households

Isle of PalmsJames Island
Poverty rate1.8%5.4%
Average household size2.182.67
Mean commute (minutes)2723
Median year structure built19851971

Full profiles

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Isle of Palms vs James Island: Compare Population & Demographics | US Census Data