Laurel Bay is a census-designated place and military housing complex in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,891 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Laurel Bay is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The base primarily houses military personnel with families that are stationed at the nearby military bases: MCAS Beaufort, MCRD Parris Island, and USNH Beaufort.