Dorchester County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,540. Its county seat is St. George. The county was created on February 25, 1897 by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly. Dorchester County is included in the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area. It is in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.
History Dorchester County is named for its first settlement area, which was established by Congregationalists in 1696. These settlers applied the name "Dorchester" after their last residence in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Dorchester was not established as a separate county until 1897. However, when it was separately established, it came from parts of the neighboring Colleton and Berkeley counties.Dorchester County Online
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.45%) is water.
State and local protected areas/sites Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site Edisto River Wildlife Management Area Givhans Ferry State Park (part) Middleton Place
Major water bodies Ashley River Four Hole Swamp Edisto River
Adjacent counties Bamberg County – west Berkeley County – east Charleston County – southeast Colleton County – southwest Orangeburg County – northwest
Major highways
Major infrastructure Summerville Airport
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Dorchester County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)42,63361,68467,57889,42799,14572.55%74.26%70.09%65.49%61.37%Black or African American alone (NH)14,60519,02624,06734,86138,27824.85%22.91%24.96%25.53%23.70%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3795406798538860.64%0.65%0.70%0.62%0.55%Asian alone (NH)3367411,0772,0163,2860.57%0.89%1.12%1.48%2.03%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census63127199xx0.07%0.09%0.12%Other race alone (NH)8529911767930.14%0.03%0.09%0.13%0.49%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,1363,0208,092xx1.18%2.21%5.01%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7231,0401,7226,07510,8611.23%1.25%1.79%4.45%6.72%Total58,76183,06096,413136,555161,540 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 161,540 people, 57,768 households, and 41,473 families residing in the county.
As of the 2020 census, the median age was 38.0 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 62.8% White, 24.0% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 7.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.7% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, 85.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 60,242 households in the county, of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 64,608 housing units, of which 6.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.2% were owner-occupied and 26.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.
2010 census At the 2010 census, there were 136,555 people, 50,259 households, and 36,850 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 55,186 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 67.8% white, 25.8% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry,
Of the 50,259 households, 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 21.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 35.6 years.
The median household income was $55,034 and the median family income was $63,847. Males had a median income of $45,659 versus $32,221 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,497. About 9.0% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census At the 2000 census, there were 96,413 people, 34,709 households, and 26,309 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 37,237 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 71.05% White, 25.08% Black or African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 34,709 households 40.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 20.20% of households were one person and 6.50% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.
The age distribution was 28.90% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median household income was $43,316 and the median family income was $50,177. Males had a median income of $35,423 versus $24,405 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,840. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over. Law and government The governing body of Dorchester County was established in 1970, and was known as the Dorchester County Board of Directors with terms to commence in January 1971. Upon commencement, the body was re-titled as the “Dorchester County Council” and its meeting dates were determined by state law to be held the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month. The seven-member County Council is elected by single-member districts. Dorchester County operates under the Council-Administrator form of government whereby County Council appoints a County Administrator to oversee the day-to-day functions of county government. Jason L. Ward has served as the County Administrator since 2004. He is aided by a Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer (Daniel T. Prentice), Deputy County Administrator for Public Safety (Mario Formisano), and Assistant County Administrator for Communuity Services (Bryan Havir). This management team oversees multiple departments within their respective directorate.
In addition to senior management reporting to County Council through the County Administrator, seven Countywide elected officials serve four year terms and oversee the following functions:
Clerk of Court (Cheryl Graham) Sheriff (Sam Richardson) Auditor (J.J. Messervy) Treasurer (Cindy Chitty) Probate Judge (Mary Blunt) Coroner (Paul Brouthers) Register of Deeds (Margaret Bailey)
The South Carolina Department of Corrections operates the Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville in Dorchester County."Lieber Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. The prison houses the state's male death row."Death Row/Capital Punishment ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
Politics
Law Enforcement Dorchester County is served by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office. The current Sheriff is Sam Richardson. They maintain the L.C. Knight Dorchester County Detention Center which opened in 2016.
Economy In 2022, the GDP of Dorchester County was $5.3 billion (about $30,938 per capita). The real GDP was $4.5 billion ($26,635 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. Between 2022-2023, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2.6-2.9%.
, some of the largest employers in the county include Bosch, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, KION Group, Publix, the town of Summerville, and Walmart. + Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Dorchester County, South Carolina Industry Employment Counts Employment Percentage (%) Average Annual Wage ($) Accommodation and Food Services 4,273 10.9 21,840 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 2,204 5.6 47,216 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 125 0.3 94,068 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 738 1.9 22,412 Construction 2,235 5.7 61,412 Educational Services 3,713 9.4 49,816 Finance and Insurance 651 1.7 71,136 Health Care and Social Assistance 3,523 9.0 50,024 Information 354 0.9 77,948 Management of Companies and Enterprises 139 0.4 79,664 Manufacturing 6,148 15.6 70,668 Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 31 0.1 73,892 Other Services (except Public Administration) 1,262 3.2 37,752 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 1,432 3.6 70,304 Public Administration 2,548 6.5 54,964 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 618 1.6 60,632 Retail Trade 5,261 13.4 32,396 Transportation and Warehousing 2,708 6.9 46,384 Utilities 134 0.3 77,064 Wholesale Trade 1,264 3.2 84,084 Total 39,361 100.0% 50,415
Education School districts include: - Text list Dorchester School District 2 Dorchester School District 4 Districts 1 and 3 merged and created District 4 in 1987.
Communities City North Charleston (largest community; partly in Berkeley and Charleston counties)
Town Harleyville Lincolnville (mostly in Charleston County) Reevesville Ridgeville St. George (county seat) Summerville (partly in Berkeley and Charleston counties)
Census-designated place Ladson (partly in Berkeley County and Charleston County)
Unincorporated communities Grover Byrds Knightsville
Ghost town Dorchester
See also List of counties in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places listings in Dorchester County, South Carolina
References
External links
Dorchester County history and images