29438 ZIP Code — Edisto Island, SC

Colleton County, South Carolina

ZIP code 29438 is located in Edisto Island, South Carolina, within Colleton County. It covers approximately 75.12 square miles and serves a population of 2,751 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 843/854.

About ZIP code 29438

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1980s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $453,700. Owner-occupancy is high at 86%, well above the national average.

The gap between median ($69,044) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. 58% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with arts, entertainment, and food service as the leading industry. The average commute of 27 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 43% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of diabetes (16%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include a notable veteran presence at 12% of civilians, above the national average of 7%.

Overall, ZIP code 29438 reflects a community defined by a strong veteran community, high homeownership, and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

2,751

population

75.12

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

29438 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 29438

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 29438. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Edisto Island	Acceptable
Edisto Island	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

29449 Hollywood (9.7 mi) 29487 Wadmalaw Island (9.9 mi) 29446 Green Pond (14.3 mi) 29455 Johns Island (16.1 mi) 29426 Adams Run (16.6 mi) 29470 Ravenel (18.3 mi) 29920 Saint Helena Island (18.8 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	2,751
Population density	37 / sq mi
State FIPS	45
County FIPS	029

Geography
Land area	75.12 sq mi
Water area	18.40 sq mi
Latitude	32.5677
Longitude	-80.3089
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	843/854

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	39.5%	65.5%	45.8%
$50k – $100k	30.6%	22.7%	30.5%
$100k – $200k	20.0%	9.2%	18.6%
Over $200k	9.9%	2.5%	5.1%

Demographics & statistics

2,751

Population

People per sq mi

62.1

Median age

$69,044

Median household income

$54,231

Per capita income

$453,700

Median home value

$1,171

Median monthly rent

86.1%

Home ownership

7.7%

Poverty rate

8.4%

Unemployment

3,300

Housing units

43.1%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

Under 5

5–9

10–14

15–19

20–24

25–34

100

35–44

176

45–54

215

147

55–59

180

150

60–64

185

330

65–74

405

128

75–84

158

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	225	8.2%
18 and over	2,526	91.8%
65 and over	1,159	42.1%
Median age	62.1 years

Race & ethnicity

White 79.8%

Black or African American 14.4%

Hispanic or Latino 2.6%

Other race 1.5%

Two or more races 1.3%

Asian 0.4%

Group	Count	%
White	2,254	79.8%
Black or African American	406	14.4%
Hispanic or Latino	72	2.6%
Other race	43	1.5%
Two or more races	38	1.3%
Asian	10	0.4%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	39.5%	65.5%	45.8%
$50k – $100k	30.6%	22.7%	30.5%
$100k – $200k	20.0%	9.2%	18.6%
Over $200k	9.9%	2.5%	5.1%

Under $10k 6.3%

$10k–$15k 2.6%

$15k–$25k 11.6%

$25k–$35k 6.3%

$35k–$50k 10.3%

$50k–$75k 16.2%

$75k–$100k 13.3%

$100k–$150k 13.4%

$150k–$200k 8.4%

$200k+ 11.7%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.3%
$10k–$15k	2.6%
$15k–$25k	11.6%
$25k–$35k	6.3%
$35k–$50k	10.3%
$50k–$75k	16.2%
$75k–$100k	13.3%
$100k–$150k	13.4%
$150k–$200k	8.4%
$200k+	11.7%
Median income	$69,044

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 4.4%

$50k–$100k 3.5%

$100k–$150k 9.7%

$150k–$200k 3.7%

$200k–$300k 9.4%

$300k–$500k 25.3%

$500k–$1M 33.2%

$1M+ 10.8%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$453,700
Median rent / month	$1,171
Owner occupied	86.1%
Renter occupied	13.9%
Vacant	61.8%
Single-family detached	76.6%
Large apartment buildings	0.9%
Mobile homes	6.7%
Median rooms	5.9
Avg household size (owned)	1.92

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.3%
2010–2019	5.8%
2000–2009	21.9%
1990–1999	25.2%
1980–1989	28.8%
1970–1979	9.0%
1960–1969	3.3%
1950–1959	2.2%
1940–1949	2.0%
1939 or earlier	1.5%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.0%
1 bedroom	5.6%
2 bedrooms	15.4%
3 bedrooms	39.9%
4 bedrooms	28.4%
5+ bedrooms	9.8%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.6%
1 vehicle	23.0%
2 vehicles	51.2%
3 or more	20.2%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	0.5%
Electricity	90.5%
Propane / LP gas	7.6%
Wood	1.1%
No fuel used	0.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	814	61.1%
Cohabiting couple	43	3.2%
Male householder, no spouse	187	14.0%
Female householder, no spouse	289	21.7%
Households with children under 18	93	7.0%
Households with seniors (65+)	792	59.4%
Average household size	2.06

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	14.4%	16.2%
Married	69.1%	62.3%
Separated	0.2%	0.8%
Widowed	4.2%	13.5%
Divorced	12.1%	7.2%

Education

Less than 9th grade 0.8%

Some HS, no diploma 5.1%

HS graduate 26.0%

Some college, no degree 17.8%

Associate's degree 7.2%

Bachelor's degree 23.4%

Graduate / professional 19.7%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	94.1%
Bachelor's or higher	43.1%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	11	4.3%
Kindergarten	32	12.5%
Elementary school	103	40.1%
High school	59	23.0%
College / grad school	52	20.2%

Employment

Industry of employment

Arts, food & hospitality 24.4%

Finance & real estate 13.1%

Education & healthcare 10.6%

Retail trade 9.9%

Professional & management 9.6%

Construction 7.3%

Manufacturing 6.7%

Other services 6.3%

Agriculture & mining 5.3%

Public administration 3.2%

Transportation & utilities 2.2%

Wholesale trade 1.5%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	27.9%
Service	19.6%
Sales & office	26.1%
Natural resources & construction	15.7%
Production & transportation	10.7%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	71.5%
Government	7.4%
Self-employed	21.1%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	65.2%
Carpool	13.7%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	1.0%
Work from home	17.4%
Other means	2.7%
Avg commute (minutes)	26.8

Poverty

All people 7.7%

Under 18 years 19.1%

18 and over 6.7%

Married-couple families 1.5%

Female-led households 14.5%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	57.7%
Retirement income	40.6%
Supplemental Security	4.8%
Cash public assistance	1.1%
Food stamps / SNAP	3.8%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	34.4%
High blood pressure	45.9%
High cholesterol	43.2%
Diabetes	16.0%
Heart disease	9.2%
Stroke	4.7%
Asthma	9.9%
Arthritis	36.1%
Kidney disease	4.1%
Pulmonary disease	9.0%
Cancer	8.7%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	16.8%
Binge drinking	15.1%
No physical activity	25.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.2%
Depression	20.3%
Fair or poor health	18.4%
Poor mental health	12.7%
Poor physical health	13.0%
No health insurance	15.0%
Visited doctor (checkup)	82.6%
Visited dentist	67.2%
Cholesterol screening	93.4%
Teeth loss	14.1%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	295	11.7%

Disability	%
Any disability	16.2%
Under 18	0.9%
18–64 years	10.5%
65 and over	25.9%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	67.0%
Public insurance	52.6%
No insurance	9.6%
Uninsured under 19	0.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	2,719	98.8%
Spanish	27	1.0%
Other Indo-European	27	1.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	2,683	97.5%
Born in same state	2,669	97.0%
Born in different state	1,583	57.5%
Foreign born	14	0.5%
Naturalized citizen	68	2.5%
Not a US citizen	45	66.2%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	571	20.8%
Arab	316	11.5%
Italian	213	7.7%
Irish	21	0.8%

Ancestry	Count	%
Dutch	17	0.6%
English	9	0.3%
Norwegian	5	0.2%
Polish	3	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	48.5%
Internet access	93.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 29438

What city is ZIP code 29438 in?

ZIP code 29438 is primarily assigned to Edisto Island, South Carolina.

What county is ZIP code 29438 in?

ZIP code 29438 falls within Charleston County, South Carolina.

Does ZIP code 29438 have an older population?

42% of residents in ZIP code 29438 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 29438 have a large retiree population?

58% of households in ZIP code 29438 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

Is ZIP code 29438 mostly owner-occupied?

86% of occupied units in ZIP code 29438 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

Does ZIP code 29438 have a large veteran population?

12% of civilians in ZIP code 29438 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 29438 in?

ZIP code 29438 observes the EST timezone.