Health care · County · South Carolina
Medical and dental practices in Dorchester County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for medical and dental practices in Dorchester County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,054 of 2,394 scored counties
#17 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 361
- 69 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 184
- +2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $71.9M
- On medical and dental services · $1,138 a household
- Spending per listing
- $199K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 57.1
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the medical and dental practices 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 $71.9M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,138 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 361 medical and dental practices, that is $199K per practice, 31% above the U.S. figure of $152K.
There are 361 medical and dental practices on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. 69 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 57.1, 32% below the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Dorchester County in 2023, up 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 343 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Official counts list 87 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $785K have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Dorchester County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dorchester County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For medical and dental practices, Dorchester County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,054 of 2,394 scored counties and #17 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
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 medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices 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 | 57.1 | 77.8 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $199K | $140K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 343 | 340 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.2% | +5.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,138 | $1,086 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 180 → 184+2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,490
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $93.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 87Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 36169 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 472The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $785K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers 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 medical and dental practices 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 cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for medical and dental practices, 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 | 15 | 15.4 | $688K | +16.1% | #58 of 2,394 |
| 2Jasper County, SC | 77 | 36 | 27.4 | $378K | +32.2% | #147 of 2,394 |
| 3Saluda County, SC | 73 | 16 | 20.9 | $467K | +4.1% | #248 of 2,394 |
| 4Abbeville County, SC | 71 | 24 | 24.6 | $409K | +2.3% | #305 of 2,394 |
| 5Kershaw County, SC | 66 | 123 | 45.7 | $231K | +11.6% | #506 of 2,394 |
| 6Calhoun County, SC | 62 | 8 | 12.9 | $765K | +0.6% | #638 of 2,394 |
| 7Laurens County, SC | 62 | 118 | 43.8 | $221K | +6.2% | #673 of 2,394 |
| 8Fairfield County, SC | 60 | 24 | 26.9 | $357K | −2.6% | #730 of 2,394 |
| 9Chesterfield County, SC | 60 | 65 | 37.1 | $249K | +3.4% | #749 of 2,394 |
| 10Lancaster County, SC | 60 | 226 | 56.3 | $205K | +18.3% | #762 of 2,394 |
| 17Dorchester County, SC | 53 | 361 | 57.1 | $199K | +10.1% | #1,054 of 2,394 |
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
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics53
- Dentists and orthodontists42
- Primary care and pediatrics69
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors36
- Physical therapy58
- Optometrists and eye care82
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in Dorchester County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 361 medical and dental practices in Dorchester County. 69 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 2.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 87 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on medical and dental services?
About $71.9M a year, or $1,138 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 361 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $199K per practice. 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 medical and dental practices?
Dorchester County has 57.1 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $199K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 472, against 361 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 343 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 53 for medical and dental practices (upper middle), #1,054 of 2,394 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 medical and dental practices 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 medical and dental practices · 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.