Some residents on Sullivan’s Island have expressed concerns about town finances — that our spending is bloated and should be reduced. If that’s true, where can we cut?
One area that has received some interest is the number of full-time employees (FTEs), or what has been called “head count.” The head count in 2026 for the Town of Sullivan’s Island is 51. Is that excessive?
The graph shows the head count for Isle of Palms, Surfside Beach, Folly Beach and Sullivan’s Island over 20 years. The table on the right shows the population for each community from the most recent census (2020) and the number of FTEs in 2026.
All four local governments have experienced increases in town employees, and at roughly the same rate. Furthermore, the ratio of the populations in the 2020 census compared with the FTEs in 2026 is approximately the same for all four municipalities. Or, to put this another way, for every 37-45 residents, each town or city has approximately one employee.
This is good news. Our head count is commensurate with our neighbors. We’re all swimming in the same warm waters.
It’s expensive to run a government along the coast of South Carolina, which, in and of itself, does not mean that we need to reduce our staff.
Data Source
The Municipal Association of South Carolina maintains a website showing data on municipal compensation for more than 75 municipalities dating back to 2006. It’s full of information, including the yearly total number of full-time employees, i.e., head count. However, not every municipality reports every year, so staff at the four towns and cities have kindly provided some data where information was missing.
Ned Higgins
Sullivan’s Island Town Council