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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Dorchester County

South Carolina · 136,555 residents · 568 sq mi
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The short version

Dorchester County is a county of 136,555 people in South Carolina. Growth has run 42% since 2000, or 40,142 more people. Households here earn about 25% more than in South Carolina as a whole. The foreign-born share is 4%. 72% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $171,400.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 35.6
US median: 37.2
Average education
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 47%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
136,555
+42%since 2000
from 96,413 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.6
+3%since 2000
from 34.7 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
568 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
75K100K125K150K176K19902000201020202024Dorchester County
2024167K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 57.1%(9,759)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97.5%(10,242)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.7%(10,520)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.3%(10,033)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 245.9%(8,027)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3413.6%(18,582)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4414.5%(19,868)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.8%(20,260)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.3%(15,415)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.3%(8,589)
US avg: 7%
75 to 842.9%(3,895)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1%(1,365)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,034
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,316 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$24,497
+30%since 2000
from $18,840 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
34.2%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
11.2%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 9.7% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.395
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade12.4%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11.7%
US avg: 11.5%
Wholesale trade9.2%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance5.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services5.3%
US avg: 7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 4.2%
Public administration3%
US avg: 4.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$171,400
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $92,200 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$868
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $568 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
71.8%
−3.2 ptssince 2000
from 75.0% in 2000
28.2% rent
Vacancy rate
9.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.68 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.81 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
30.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 28.8% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
43.9%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 41.9% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.1
+3%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic70.1%(67,578)
Black25%(24,067)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(1,722)
Asian1.1%(1,077)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic65.5%(89,427)
Black25.5%(34,861)
Hispanic / Latino4.4%(6,075)
Asian1.5%(2,016)
Other2.6%(3,515)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2%(2,561)
Puerto Rican0.6%(742)
Guatemalan0.3%(439)
Cuban0.2%(215)
Honduran0.2%(211)
Spaniard0.1%(194)
Colombian0.1%(136)
Salvadoran0.1%(113)
Dominican0.1%(70)
Peruvian0.1%(67)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Bolivian0%(28)
Argentine0%(21)
Chilean0%(10)
Ancestry
American14.9%(19,352)
German13.6%(17,670)
Irish11.1%(14,443)
English9.6%(12,388)
Italian3.7%(4,824)
French2.9%(3,706)
Scotch-Irish2.4%(3,153)
Scottish2.2%(2,814)
Polish1.9%(2,489)
Dutch1.3%(1,701)
Swedish0.8%(1,023)
+ 36 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.5%(666)
Welsh0.5%(623)
Russian0.5%(612)
British0.4%(539)
Greek0.4%(516)
Czech0.3%(379)
West Indian0.3%(346)
Hungarian0.3%(333)
Belgian0.3%(325)
Portuguese0.2%(317)
Slovak0.2%(313)
Swiss0.2%(313)
Danish0.2%(281)
Austrian0.2%(277)
Canadian0.2%(276)
Ukrainian0.2%(199)
Lithuanian0.1%(143)
Croatian0.1%(89)
Arab0.1%(83)
Slovene0.1%(82)
Jamaican0.1%(78)
Lebanese0.1%(70)
Finnish0%(49)
Brazilian0%(36)
Bulgarian0%(29)
Romanian0%(29)
Guyanese0%(23)
Israeli0%(23)
Armenian0%(20)
Haitian0%(14)
Egyptian0%(13)
Serbian0%(8)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
24.1%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 21.4% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
88.9%
+6.7 ptssince 2000
from 82.2% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
8.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.3% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.9 min
+43%since 2000
from 19.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
84.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 83.1% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.0% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
5.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
14.0%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.8% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
33.0%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 31.0% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
51.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
4.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
15.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 15.7% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married34.8%(22,528)
Married54.6%(35,378)
Widowed2.6%(1,692)
Divorced8%(5,196)
Women 15+
Never married28.9%(20,063)
Married50.9%(35,380)
Widowed8.1%(5,621)
Divorced12.2%(8,462)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
10.2%
−4.5 ptssince 2013
from 14.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
53.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 54.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 11.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 16.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 17.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 4.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 68.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.1%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 34.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)39.4%(5,812)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)34%(5,009)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era23.3%(3,438)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2%(300)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.9%(126)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 14,738 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Dorchester County to nearby counties

DORCHESTER COUNTY VS
Colleton County
Income$51,114−7%
Home value$162,500−5%
Population39,382−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DORCHESTER COUNTY VS
Berkeley County
Income$84,358+53%
Home value$310,300+81%
Population274,666+54%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DORCHESTER COUNTY VS
Charleston County
Income$88,494+61%
Home value$489,100+185%
Population436,200+145%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DORCHESTER COUNTY VS
Orangeburg County
Income$45,675−17%
Home value$115,800−32%
Population83,177−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Dorchester County, South Carolina?

Dorchester County, South Carolina has about 136,555 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Dorchester County, South Carolina?

The typical household in Dorchester County, South Carolina earns about $55,034 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Dorchester County, South Carolina expensive?

In Dorchester County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $171,400, and the typical rent is about $868 a month.

How educated are people in Dorchester County, South Carolina?

About 24.1% of adults age 25 and over in Dorchester County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Dorchester County, South Carolina?

About 11.2% of people in Dorchester County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Dorchester County, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Dorchester County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 53,495 residents, a change of about 64 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →