Official Federal Data
Dorchester County, South Carolina
FIPS 45035 · Charleston-North Charleston, SC · Population 167,201
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,198 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$6.7B ▲
GDP
29.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
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
$78,198 ▲
Per Capita
$38,870 ▲
Mean Household
$100,220 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.4% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Dorchester County$78,198
South Carolina$69,324
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
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%
▲ +2.5 pts
29.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 5.9 pts
11.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
167,201
Population
85,839
Labor Force
Employed
79,894
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.9% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.2%
Key Takeaways
- 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
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 5,992 workers (19.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $81,104.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $6.7B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $93,959 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,310, 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
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
4,324
Cluster Employment
6.69x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
6.69x 3,101
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.16x 460
Waste Management and Remediation Services
3.00x 414
Forestry and Logging
2.62x 32
Warehousing and Storage
2.60x 1,319
Food and Beverage Retailers
2.07x 1,796
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.00x 763
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.80x 503
Repair and Maintenance
1.66x 645
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.18x
Food Manufacturing
86 employed
0.20x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
59 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing concentrates at 6.69x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
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
$329,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,463 ▲
Rent/Mo
75.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
6.9% ▼
Vacancy
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
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 household income (~$1,955/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
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.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,955/mo).
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, B23025, B08303, B08301
101,541 ▲
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
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
29.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.1% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
26,825/yr
10,045/yr
7,469/yr
2,581/yr
2,410/yr
2,195/yr
2,125/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
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 scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 79,894 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 20,095 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Dorchester County shows strong potential for transportation equipment manufacturing attraction, with a 6.69x concentration and 3,101 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across transportation equipment manufacturing, nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, and waste management and remediation services creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
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 LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
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 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
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, CAGDP1).
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