HILTON HEAD, S.C. — Readers of a major travel magazine have again ranked Hilton Head Island as the top island in the United States, marking a 10th consecutive year at No. 1 in the publication’s 2026 readers’ choice awards.
More than 798,000 readers took part in the annual survey, rating destinations on a five-point scale. Hilton Head scored 96.82, about half a point ahead of Kiawah Island, which finished second. Fripp Island placed 15th and Isle of Palms 18th among U.S. islands on the same list.
Mayor Alan Perry said the streak reflects the island’s tourism economy and the hospitality visitors find in restaurants, on beaches and at resorts. He also pointed to recent beach renourishment that added sand and strengthened the shoreline at Coligny Beach and other stretches of coast.
Coligny Beach ranked No. 12 among U.S. beaches and was described as the only South Carolina beach on that list. In the magazine’s full-service resort category, Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton ranked No. 11 and The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head ranked No. 14.
Bill Miles, president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said the honors come directly from travelers and show what visitors value about the region. Overall results were released Oct. 6, with online voting held from April 1 through June 30.
Town and chamber accounts celebrated the win on social media as the island continues to market itself as a coastal destination competing with better-known islands in Hawaii, Florida and Georgia.
