Groceries and convenience · County · South Carolina
Grocery stores in Dorchester County, SC
The grocery stores in Dorchester County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #279 of 2,070 scored counties
#4 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 37
- 22 chain locations (59%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $389.1M
- On groceries · $6,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the grocery 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
Households in Dorchester County spend about $389.1M a year on groceries, or $6,158 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $10.5M of household spending for each store on map listings, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 37 grocery stores on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 59% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 2,872 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Dorchester County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dorchester County scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #279 of 2,070 scored counties and #4 of 41 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 grocery 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 | 5.9 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.5M | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,872 | 2,325 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.4% | 0.0% |
| 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 | 76 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 22
- Employees, 2023
- 1,933
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $48M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3722 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 42The 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 supermarkets and grocery 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 grocery 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 cardGrocery stores across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for grocery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, SC | 79 | 51 | 5.4 | $11.4M | +18.7% | #221 of 2,070 |
| 2York County, SC | 77 | 59 | 5.2 | $12.4M | +8.1% | #250 of 2,070 |
| 3Aiken County, SC | 77 | 37 | 5.3 | $11.2M | +7.3% | #256 of 2,070 |
| 4Dorchester County, SC | 76 | 37 | 5.9 | $10.5M | +10.1% | #279 of 2,070 |
| 5Kershaw County, SC | 74 | 12 | 4.5 | $13.1M | +11.6% | #315 of 2,070 |
| 6Spartanburg County, SC | 72 | 67 | 5.1 | $11.4M | +15.6% | #356 of 2,070 |
| 7Pickens County, SC | 72 | 27 | 5.2 | $11M | +5.7% | #357 of 2,070 |
| 8Anderson County, SC | 70 | 48 | 5.7 | $10.1M | +7.7% | #415 of 2,070 |
| 9Richland County, SC | 67 | 94 | 5.6 | $10.4M | +4.6% | #484 of 2,070 |
| 10Edgefield County, SC | 66 | 7 | 7.2 | $8.1M | +16.1% | #532 of 2,070 |
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 grocery stores are in Dorchester County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 grocery stores in Dorchester County. 22 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery 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 37 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.5M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery 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 grocery stores?
Dorchester County has 5.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 42, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,872 households, against one for every 2,053 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 76 for grocery stores (high), #279 of 2,070 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 grocery 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 grocery 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.