Beauty and personal care · County · South Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in Dorchester County, SC
How Dorchester County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,930 of 2,385 scored counties
#28 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 427
- 62 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- +24.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $58.3M
- On personal care products and services · $923 a household
- Spending per listing
- $137K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 67.6
- 43% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the salons, barbers and spas 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
Dorchester County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #1,930 of 2,385 scored counties and #28 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $923 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $58.3M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 427 salons, barbers and spas, that is $137K per business, 36% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
Dorchester County has 427 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 67.6 for every 10,000 households, 43% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
In 2023, official counts showed 76 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as personal care services, up 24.6% from 2019. That is one for every 831 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Dorchester County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dorchester County grew 10.1%, 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 personal care products and services by the salons, barbers and spas 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 | 67.6 | 49.7 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $137K | $175K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 831 | 1,100 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +24.6% | +26.3% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $923 | $871 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61 → 76+24.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 349
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 843Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42762 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 274The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services 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 salons, barbers and spas 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 cardSalons, barbers and spas across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for salons, barbers and spas, 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 | 77 | 20 | 20.5 | $412K | +16.1% | #119 of 2,385 |
| 2Laurens County, SC | 70 | 64 | 23.7 | $323K | +6.2% | #294 of 2,385 |
| 3Lancaster County, SC | 66 | 145 | 36.1 | $257K | +18.3% | #441 of 2,385 |
| 4Abbeville County, SC | 65 | 17 | 17.4 | $456K | +2.3% | #445 of 2,385 |
| 5Saluda County, SC | 65 | 14 | 18.3 | $419K | +4.1% | #448 of 2,385 |
| 6Calhoun County, SC | 63 | 6 | 9.7 | $814K | +0.6% | #514 of 2,385 |
| 7Jasper County, SC | 60 | 41 | 31.3 | $265K | +32.2% | #657 of 2,385 |
| 8Cherokee County, SC | 58 | 60 | 27.2 | $270K | +3.7% | #751 of 2,385 |
| 9Kershaw County, SC | 58 | 101 | 37.6 | $226K | +11.6% | #761 of 2,385 |
| 10Chesterfield County, SC | 56 | 51 | 29.1 | $251K | +3.4% | #851 of 2,385 |
| 28Dorchester County, SC | 36 | 427 | 67.6 | $137K | +10.1% | #1,930 of 2,385 |
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
- Salons, barbers and spas36
- Hair salons38
- Barbershops58
- Nail salons44
- Spas and skin care43
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many salons, barbers and spas are in Dorchester County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 427 salons, barbers and spas in Dorchester County. 62 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 24.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 843 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on personal care products and services?
About $58.3M a year, or $923 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 427 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $137K 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 salons, barbers and spas?
Dorchester County has 67.6 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 43% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $137K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 274, against 427 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 831 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% 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 36 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,930 of 2,385 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 salons, barbers and spas 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 salons, barbers and spas · 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.