Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Dorchester County, SC
The restaurants and cafes 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 #225 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 520
- 224 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 225
- +13.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $246M
- On food away from home · $3,894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $473K
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 82.3
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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
For restaurants and cafes, Dorchester County has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #225 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 520 restaurants and cafes in Dorchester County. Of those, 224 are chain locations, or 43%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 82.3 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Dorchester County comes to about $246M a year: $3,894 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 520 restaurants and cafes, that is $473K per restaurant, 28% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dorchester County was 225 in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. That is one for every 281 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dorchester County. Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | 82.3 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $473K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 281 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.1% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,894 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 199 → 225+13.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,516
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $91.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 77Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 520224 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 664The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places 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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants and cafes across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for restaurants and cafes, 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 | 88 | 52 | 53.2 | $671K | +16.1% | #35 of 2,405 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 83 | 731 | 78.0 | $505K | +18.7% | #97 of 2,405 |
| 3Lancaster County, SC | 82 | 289 | 72.0 | $546K | +18.3% | #110 of 2,405 |
| 4Kershaw County, SC | 79 | 170 | 63.2 | $561K | +11.6% | #150 of 2,405 |
| 5York County, SC | 76 | 947 | 83.2 | $507K | +8.1% | #221 of 2,405 |
| 6Dorchester County, SC | 76 | 520 | 82.3 | $473K | +10.1% | #225 of 2,405 |
| 7Oconee County, SC | 73 | 234 | 67.8 | $516K | +6.3% | #305 of 2,405 |
| 8Calhoun County, SC | 72 | 27 | 43.7 | $757K | +0.6% | #327 of 2,405 |
| 9Laurens County, SC | 71 | 162 | 60.1 | $528K | +6.2% | #366 of 2,405 |
| 10Saluda County, SC | 71 | 47 | 61.3 | $518K | +4.1% | #368 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dorchester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes76
- Sit-down restaurants73
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes83
- Bakeries and dessert shops82
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Dorchester County, SC?
There are 520 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. 224 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 225 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 77 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $246M a year, or $3,894 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 520 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $473K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
Dorchester County has 82.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $473K, 28% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 664, against 520 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 281 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% 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 76 for restaurants and cafes (high), #225 of 2,405 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 restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · 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.