Official Federal Data
Dorchester County, South Carolina
Charleston-North Charleston, SC · Population 167,201
10 Sources
Updated September 10, 2026
$78,198 up from the baseline named below
Median Income (nominal) vs 2019
$80,734 national
3.9% up from the baseline named below
Unemployment vs 2024
4.3% national
$6.7B up from the baseline named below
GDP (nominal) real change vs 2023
29.8% up from the baseline named below
Bachelor's+ vs 2019
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household (nominal)
$78,198 up from 2019 vs 2019
Per Capita
$38,870 up from 2019 vs 2019
Mean Household
$100,220 up from 2019 vs 2019
Median Household (cost-of-living adjusted)
$77,424 metro RPP 101.0
Poverty Rate
11.4% down from 2019 vs 2019
Median Income Comparison
Dorchester County$78,198
South Carolina$69,324
National$80,734
Cost-of-living adjustment uses the BEA all-items regional price parity for Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 101.0 against a national average of 100 (2024). BEA publishes regional price parity at state and metropolitan level only; there is no county figure, so the metro index stands in for Dorchester County and the adjusted median is an approximation. Per capita and mean household income above are nominal and carry no adjustment.
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003
CohortsShare of total population
Under 18 · 24.1%
18-34 · 21.3%
35-54 · 26.8%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 15.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
up from national +2.5 pts vs national
29.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
down from national 5.9 pts vs national
11.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
down from national 2.6 pts vs national
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
167,201
Population
84,050
Labor Force
Employed
79,894
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.9% up from 2024 +0.2 pts vs 2024
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.2%
Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.
Key Takeaways
- Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the national median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 5.9 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
$6.7B up from 2023 +6.1% vs 2023
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
+6.1% real (inflation-adjusted)
·
+9.1% nominal
· 2023 to 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · level and nominal change from CAGDP2 (current dollars); real change from CAGDP9 (chained 2017 dollars), both all-industry total. The two series agree in 2017, the chain reference year, and diverge by the amount of price change since.
101.0
Cost of Living · metro · Above Avg
Key Takeaways
- Largest private-sector industry: Manufacturing employs 5,994 workers (19.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $81,112. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 7,203 and is counted separately.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $6.7B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $94,239 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,301, a 3.9x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
10 sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5
Largest grouping among them is Manufacturing Cluster at 45.4% of the employment across all of them, which signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
9,532
Employment in the sub-sectors listed
6.87x
Peak sub-sector LQ
Sub-Sector Detail
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
6.87x 3,101
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.28x 460
Waste Management and Remediation Services
3.07x 414
Forestry and Logging
2.69x 32
Warehousing and Storage
2.67x 1,319
Food and Beverage Retailers
2.13x 1,797
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.06x 764
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.85x 503
Repair and Maintenance
1.70x 645
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
1.61x 497
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, screened against local siting constraints. Source: BLS QCEW
0.19x
Food Manufacturing
86 employed
0.22x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
62 employed
Screened on industrial power cost, rail-truck intermodal access, land base.
Industrial electricity in South Carolina costs 7.11¢/kWh against 8.62¢/kWh nationally (2025).
South Carolina has 6 rail-truck intermodal terminals, the nearest 28 miles from the county.
Land area 568 sq mi, larger than 44% of US counties.
Sources: EIA, BTS NTAD, Census Gazetteer.
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing concentrates at 6.87x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, and no single source of demand accounts for more than 45.4% of the employment across them, the largest being goods manufacturing. Demand reaches this base from more than one market rather than from a single one.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064, B25004
$329,300 up from the baseline named below
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,463 up from the baseline named below
Rent/Mo vs 2019
75.5% up from the baseline named below
Owner-Occ vs 2019
6.9% down from the baseline named below
Vacancy vs 2019
2.6% available
for rent or sale
for rent or sale
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
HUD publishes these by FMR area, which may cover more than one county · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070
Studio
$1,557/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,630/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,787/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,222/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,562/mo
30% of monthly median renter household income (~$1,335/mo, from a renter median of $53,395) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Measured: 52.7% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 22% pay 50% or more.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 75.5% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Rent affordability gap: None of the 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $53,395 can pay without cost burden (~$1,335/mo), and 52.7% of renter households are already cost-burdened, 22% severely so; workforce housing cost burden warrants attention.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23001, B23025, B08303, B08301
101,541 up from the baseline named below
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
78.5%
of prime-age population
Prime-age rate numerator is civilian employed (B23001); the denominator is total population aged 25-54 (B01001), which also includes armed forces.
of population age 16 and over (132,064)
up from 2019 vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
29.8% up from 2019 vs 2019
HS Diploma+
92.1% up from 2019 vs 2019
Institutions in Dorchester County
1 institution in Dorchester County reporting credentials to College Scorecard
Credentials awarded in Dorchester County
96/yr
96/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Same cohort is 12.6% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.1%
Service
15.6%
Sales & Office
20%
Construction / Maint.
9.9%
Production / Transport
15.4%
Bars are drawn on a 0% to 40% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 79,894 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Healthy participation: 65% labor force participation reflects a steady, available local workforce.
- Talent pipeline: 1 institution in Dorchester County awards 96 credentials a year. Employers drawing from a wider labor shed should read this alongside institutions outside the county, which this page does not aggregate.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 10 federal data sources.
Sample AI Insight
Dorchester County shows strong potential for transportation equipment manufacturing attraction, with a 6.87x concentration and 3,101 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The concentrated base spans transportation equipment manufacturing, nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, and waste management and remediation services, and no single source of demand accounts for more than 45.4% of the employment across them, the largest being goods manufacturing. Supply-chain recruitment has more than one demand base to work from.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
BEA Regional Price Parity2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
American Community Survey figures on this page are 2020-2024 five-year averages rather than single-year counts. A five-year estimate pools 60 months of survey responses, so each value describes the period as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Dorchester County, South Carolina, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Dorchester County, South Carolina?
167,201 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Dorchester County, South Carolina?
$78,198 in nominal dollars (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates). Adjusted for local prices using the BEA all-items regional price parity for Charleston-North Charleston, SC (101.0 against a national average of 100), that is $77,424 at national average prices. BEA publishes regional price parity at metro level; there is no county-level figure.
What is the unemployment rate in Dorchester County, South Carolina?
3.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Dorchester County, South Carolina?
$6.7B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP2).
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