Auto · County · South Carolina
Auto repair and car care businesses in Dorchester County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Dorchester County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #544 of 2,401 scored counties
#11 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 208
- 79 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 85
- +51.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $290K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.9
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Dorchester County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $60.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $290K per business, 8% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Dorchester County has 208 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 38%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 32.9 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dorchester County was 85 in 2023, up 51.8% from 2019. That is one for every 743 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 173 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dorchester County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dorchester County grew 10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Dorchester County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #544 of 2,401 scored counties and #11 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dorchester County compares
The same measures for South Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Dorchester County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.9 | 35.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $290K | $256K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 743 | 760 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +51.8% | +8.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 85+51.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 446
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 173Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20879 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 225The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $7.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Dorchester County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 178,397+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 63,179
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 294
- Median household income
- $78,198+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,220
- Median home value
- $329,300
- Jobs located here
- 39,777
- Daytime population
- 129,933Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Dorchester County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Dorchester County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 83 | 24 | 24.6 | $412K | +16.1% | #84 of 2,401 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 79 | 254 | 27.1 | $349K | +18.7% | #148 of 2,401 |
| 3Abbeville County, SC | 77 | 20 | 20.5 | $467K | +2.3% | #176 of 2,401 |
| 4Beaufort County, SC | 72 | 224 | 27.2 | $330K | +8.9% | #307 of 2,401 |
| 5Saluda County, SC | 71 | 24 | 31.3 | $324K | +4.1% | #342 of 2,401 |
| 6Aiken County, SC | 71 | 226 | 32.3 | $299K | +7.3% | #348 of 2,401 |
| 7Laurens County, SC | 70 | 84 | 31.2 | $299K | +6.2% | #369 of 2,401 |
| 8Calhoun County, SC | 68 | 16 | 25.9 | $400K | +0.6% | #417 of 2,401 |
| 9Fairfield County, SC | 65 | 22 | 24.6 | $374K | −2.6% | #522 of 2,401 |
| 10Oconee County, SC | 65 | 115 | 33.3 | $294K | +6.3% | #541 of 2,401 |
| 11Dorchester County, SC | 65 | 208 | 32.9 | $290K | +10.1% | #544 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Dorchester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care65
- Auto repair shops68
- Collision repair and body shops72
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops57
- Oil change and quick lube46
- Gas stations78
- Insurance agencies79
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Dorchester County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 208 auto repair and car care businesses in Dorchester County. 79 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 51.8% from 2019. Another 173 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $60.3M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 208 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $290K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,179 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, SC compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Dorchester County has 32.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $290K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 225, against 208 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 743 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 51.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 178,397 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,179 households. The median household income in Dorchester County is $78,198 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Dorchester County scores 65 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #544 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester County. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Dorchester County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.