• county
  • FIPS 45035
  • Largest town: Summerville

Dorchester County, South Carolina

Dorchester County had 174,663 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 568.4 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 27th by land area.

Population
174,663
#12 of 46 in South Carolina · #399 in US
Area
568.4 sq mi
#27 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,794 in US
Density
307 / sq mi
#9 of 46 in South Carolina · #426 in US
Median household income
$78,329
#5 of 46 in South Carolina · #532 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Dorchester County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dorchester County

Dorchester County population, land area and income

Dorchester County had 174,663 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 568.4 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 27th by land area. That works out to 307.3 people per square mile, 3.2 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents, so Dorchester County is 2.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $78,329 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

174,663

3144th1st

399th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

568 sq mi

3144th1st

1794th of 3,144 (US)

Density

307.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

426th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$78,329

3143rd1st

532nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

174,663

46th1st

12th of 46 (SC)

Land area

568 sq mi

46th1st

27th of 46 (SC)

Density

307.3 / sq mi

46th1st

9th of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$78,329

46th1st

5th of 46 (SC)

How Dorchester County's population changed since 2020

Dorchester County gained 12,604 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 7.8%. That ranks 9th of 46 in South Carolina for growth. The median South Carolina county changed by +2.9%, and the state as a whole by +6.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dorchester County recorded 8,492 births and 6,361 deaths, a natural change of +2,131. Net international migration added +1,494 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +9,607. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 9,607 people.

162.1k2020163.5k2021166.0k2022169.8k2023174.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
8,492
Deaths
6,361
Net international migration
+1,494
Net domestic migration
+9,607
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+4,893

Where Dorchester County is

The Census internal point of Dorchester County is at 33.082200, -80.404700. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades South Carolina's 46 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dorchester County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Union County: -1.9%Chester County: +0.1%Lee County: -3.6%Bamberg County: -2.9%Barnwell County: -0.5%Horry County: +16.9%Allendale County: -4.8%Chesterfield County: +2.9%Clarendon County: +0.6%Edgefield County: +14.7%Georgetown County: +4.0%McCormick County: +4.8%Pickens County: +4.9%Richland County: +3.6%Newberry County: +3.9%Spartanburg County: +12.1%Sumter County: -0.7%Marlboro County: -3.8%Berkeley County: +14.2%Charleston County: +5.1%Laurens County: +4.3%Saluda County: +2.9%Anderson County: +6.4%Dorchester County: +7.8%Dillon County: -2.5%Oconee County: +4.7%Beaufort County: +7.4%Cherokee County: +2.7%Greenville County: +8.2%York County: +6.7%Colleton County: +1.9%Darlington County: -0.7%Calhoun County: +1.0%Jasper County: +22.2%Marion County: -2.5%Fairfield County: -2.4%Hampton County: -1.9%Lancaster County: +15.6%Orangeburg County: -1.0%Aiken County: +6.0%Greenwood County: +0.9%Florence County: +0.9%Abbeville County: +1.4%Lexington County: +6.4%Kershaw County: +9.3%Williamsburg County: -3.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < +1.0%
  3. < +4.3%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Dorchester County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
33.082200, -80.404700
DMS
33°04'55.92"N 80°24'16.92"W
UTM
17N 555559.2E 3660557.3N
Geohash
djyu4q7jf
Plus code
865X3HJW+V4

Towns in Dorchester County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Dorchester County, 78,604 people together, or 45% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dorchester County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Summerville with 44,274.

  1. 01Summerville (part)44,274
  2. 02North Charleston (part)31,238
  3. 03St. George1,855
  4. 04Ridgeville1,234
  5. 05Lincolnville (part)3
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dorchester County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Dorchester County. The most populous is Charleston County, SC, with 431,001 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 73.1 miles NNW of Dorchester County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is North Charleston, SC (population 126,005), 22.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Summerville, SC (population 52,625), 14.1 miles away.

Dorchester County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dorchester County is 45035: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 035. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $78,329.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dorchester County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 174,663. That is up 12,604 people (7.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 162,059.

What is the FIPS code of Dorchester County?

45035. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (035) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dorchester County?

Summerville, with 44,274 residents inside Dorchester County in 2024 (52,625 across all 3 counties it spans).

Which counties border Dorchester County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Charleston County, SC; Berkeley County, SC; Orangeburg County, SC; Colleton County, SC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.