Groceries and convenience · County · South Carolina
Convenience stores in Dorchester County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in Dorchester County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #358 of 2,261 scored counties
#3 of 42 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 59
- 44 chain locations (75%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $389.1M
- On groceries · $6,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.6M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the convenience stores 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 $6,158 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $389.1M a year on groceries. That is about $6.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 16% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
There are 59 convenience stores on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. 44 of them (75%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Dorchester County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 4,513 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For convenience stores, Dorchester County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #358 of 2,261 scored counties and #3 of 42 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 groceries by the convenience stores 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 | 9.3 | 11.2 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $6.6M | $5.3M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,513 | 3,110 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +45.2% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,158 | $5,910 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 27
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $764K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5944 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores 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 convenience stores 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 cardConvenience stores across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for convenience stores, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaufort County, SC | 87 | 64 | 7.8 | $8.3M | +8.9% | #76 of 2,261 |
| 2Greenville County, SC | 79 | 170 | 7.7 | $8M | +10.6% | #201 of 2,261 |
| 3Dorchester County, SC | 73 | 59 | 9.3 | $6.6M | +10.1% | #358 of 2,261 |
| 4York County, SC | 72 | 104 | 9.1 | $7M | +8.1% | #381 of 2,261 |
| 5Berkeley County, SC | 71 | 95 | 10.1 | $6.1M | +18.7% | #416 of 2,261 |
| 6Charleston County, SC | 68 | 186 | 10.4 | $6.2M | +6.4% | #503 of 2,261 |
| 7Aiken County, SC | 61 | 81 | 11.6 | $5.1M | +7.3% | #737 of 2,261 |
| 8Horry County, SC | 60 | 187 | 11.8 | $4.9M | +20.9% | #778 of 2,261 |
| 9Kershaw County, SC | 59 | 29 | 10.8 | $5.4M | +11.6% | #809 of 2,261 |
| 10Lexington County, SC | 58 | 122 | 10.0 | $6.1M | +7.7% | #834 of 2,261 |
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
- Grocery and convenience stores73
- Grocery stores76
- Convenience stores73
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in Dorchester County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 59 convenience stores in Dorchester County. 44 of them (75%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on groceries?
About $389.1M a year, or $6,158 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $6.6M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. 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 convenience stores?
Dorchester County has 9.3 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $6.6M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 49, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,513 households, against one for every 3,493 across 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 73 for convenience stores (upper middle), #358 of 2,261 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 convenience stores 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 convenience stores · 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.