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Dorchester County, South Carolina

Coordinates: 33°05′N 80°24′W / 33.08°N 80.40°W / 33.08; -80.40
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Dorchester County
County
Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site
Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site
Flag of Dorchester County
Flag
Official seal of Dorchester County
Seal
Official logo of Dorchester County
Logo
Map of South Carolina highlighting Dorchester County
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°05′N 80°24′W / 33.08°N 80.40°W / 33.08; -80.40
Country United States
State South Carolina
FoundedFebruary 25, 1897
Named forDorchester, Massachusetts
SeatSt. George
Largest communityNorth Charleston
Area
 • Total571.18 sq mi (1,479.3 km2)
 • Land568.59 sq mi (1,472.6 km2)
 • Water2.59 sq mi (6.7 km2)  0.45%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total161,540
 • Estimate 
(2023)
169,833
 • Density284.11/sq mi (109.70/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts1st, 6th
Websitewww.dorchestercountysc.gov

Dorchester County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,540.[1] Its county seat is St. George.[2] The county was created on February 25, 1897 by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly.[3]

Dorchester County is included in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.

History

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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.[4]

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.[5]

Geography

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Map
Interactive map of Dorchester County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571.18 square miles (1,479.3 km2), of which 568.59 square miles (1,472.6 km2) is land and 2.59 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.45%) is water.[6]

State and local protected areas/sites

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Major water bodies

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Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Major infrastructure

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
190016,294—
191017,8919.8%
192019,4598.8%
193018,956−2.6%
194019,9285.1%
195022,60113.4%
196024,3837.9%
197032,27632.4%
198058,76182.1%
199083,06041.4%
200096,41316.1%
2010136,55541.6%
2020161,54018.3%
2023 (est.)169,833[1]5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[1]

2020 census

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Dorchester County racial composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 99,145 61.37%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 38,278 23.7%
Native American 886 0.55%
Asian 3,286 2.03%
Pacific Islander 199 0.12%
Other/Mixed 8,885 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10,861 6.72%

As of the 2020 census, there were 161,540 people, 57,768 households, and 41,473 families residing in the county.

2010 census

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At the 2010 census, there were 136,555 people, 50,259 households, and 36,850 families living in the county.[14][12] The population density was 238.2 inhabitants per square mile (92.0/km2). There were 55,186 housing units at an average density of 96.3 units per square mile (37.2 units/km2).[15] 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.[14] In terms of ancestry,[16]

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.[14]

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.[17]

2000 census

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At the 2000 census, there were 96,413 people, 34,709 households, and 26,309 families living in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile (65 people/km2). There were 37,237 housing units at an average density of 65 units per square mile (25 units/km2). 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.[18] 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

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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 (L.C. Knight)
  • 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.[19] The prison houses the state's male death row.[20]

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Dorchester County, South Carolina[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 43,839 56.37% 32,489 41.78% 1,436 1.85%
2020 41,913 54.24% 33,824 43.77% 1,541 1.99%
2016 34,987 55.92% 24,055 38.45% 3,525 5.63%
2012 32,531 57.22% 23,445 41.24% 879 1.55%
2008 29,929 57.11% 21,806 41.61% 670 1.28%
2004 26,006 62.94% 14,733 35.66% 578 1.40%
2000 20,734 61.63% 12,168 36.17% 739 2.20%
1996 15,283 56.63% 9,931 36.80% 1,773 6.57%
1992 15,004 53.53% 9,160 32.68% 3,865 13.79%
1988 14,756 66.37% 7,371 33.15% 105 0.47%
1984 15,289 68.26% 7,037 31.42% 73 0.33%
1980 10,893 59.53% 7,237 39.55% 168 0.92%
1976 6,695 45.30% 8,046 54.44% 38 0.26%
1972 8,095 68.11% 3,606 30.34% 185 1.56%
1968 3,354 31.21% 3,855 35.87% 3,539 32.93%
1964 5,109 76.11% 1,604 23.89% 0 0.00%
1960 3,525 59.93% 2,357 40.07% 0 0.00%
1956 504 15.67% 862 26.80% 1,851 57.54%
1952 2,319 73.13% 852 26.87% 0 0.00%
1948 85 2.88% 143 4.85% 2,722 92.27%
1944 65 3.88% 1,181 70.47% 430 25.66%
1940 110 9.97% 993 90.03% 0 0.00%
1936 28 3.05% 889 96.95% 0 0.00%
1932 23 1.60% 1,412 98.19% 3 0.21%
1928 44 3.83% 1,105 96.17% 0 0.00%
1924 20 2.79% 697 97.21% 0 0.00%
1920 60 6.42% 874 93.58% 0 0.00%
1916 44 5.77% 716 93.96% 2 0.26%
1912 18 2.97% 576 94.89% 13 2.14%
1908 103 10.39% 883 89.10% 5 0.50%
1904 69 8.90% 706 91.10% 0 0.00%
1900 43 5.29% 770 94.71% 0 0.00%

Law Enforcement

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Dorchester County is served by the Dorchester County Sherriffs Department. The current Sherriff is L.C. Knight. The Sherriffs Department maintains the L.C. Knight Dorchester County Detention Center which opened in 2016.

Economy

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In 2022, the GDP of Dorchester County was $5.3 billion (about $30,938 per capita).[22] The real GDP was $4.5 billion ($26,635 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.[23] Between 2022-2023, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2.6-2.9%.[24]

As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county include Bosch, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, KION Group, Publix, the town of Summerville, and Walmart.[25]

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Dorchester County, South Carolina[25]
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

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School districts include:[26]

Communities

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City

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  • North Charleston (largest community; partly in Berkeley and Charleston counties)

Town

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Census-designated place

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  • Ladson (partly in Berkeley County and Charleston County)

Unincorporated communities

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Ghost town

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "QuickFacts: Dorchester County, South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Map of Dorchester County, South Carolina : Made and created by an Act of the Legislature of So. Ca. Feb'y 25th 1897, from portions of Colleton and Berkeley counties". Library of Congress.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 108.
  5. ^ Dorchester County Online Archived February 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Wildlife Management Areas - South Carolina Hunting". eRegulations. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  13. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  15. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  16. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  17. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  19. ^ "Lieber Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  20. ^ "Death Row/Capital Punishment Archived October 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  22. ^ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Dorchester County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  23. ^ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Dorchester County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  24. ^ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 1, 1990). "Unemployment Rate in Dorchester County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Dorchester County" (PDF). Community Profiles (4000035). Columbia, SC: S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce - Business Intelligence Department. April 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dorchester County, SC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. - Text list
  27. ^ Bowers, Paul (March 4, 2019). "2 Dorchester school districts a study in contrasts as debate continues on combining them". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
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