Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Dorchester County, SC
How Dorchester County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #308 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 301
- 112 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 93
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $246M
- On food away from home · $3,894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $817K
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.6
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Dorchester County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 301 sit-down restaurants in Dorchester County. 112 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 47.6, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,894 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $246M a year on food away from home. That works out to $817K per restaurant, 23% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 93 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as full-service restaurants, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 679 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Dorchester County.
Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Dorchester County is 73 (upper middle), #308 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 44 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 food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | 47.6 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $817K | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 679 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| 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 | 73 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 90 → 93+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,862
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 301112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 371The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants 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 cardSit-down restaurants across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for sit-down restaurants, 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 | 80 | 402 | 42.9 | $918K | +18.7% | #131 of 2,405 |
| 2Lancaster County, SC | 79 | 168 | 41.9 | $940K | +18.3% | #152 of 2,405 |
| 3Edgefield County, SC | 77 | 40 | 41.0 | $873K | +16.1% | #201 of 2,405 |
| 4Kershaw County, SC | 76 | 90 | 33.5 | $1.1M | +11.6% | #222 of 2,405 |
| 5York County, SC | 76 | 497 | 43.7 | $966K | +8.1% | #225 of 2,405 |
| 6Dorchester County, SC | 73 | 301 | 47.6 | $817K | +10.1% | #308 of 2,405 |
| 7Calhoun County, SC | 69 | 14 | 22.7 | $1.5M | +0.6% | #391 of 2,405 |
| 8Laurens County, SC | 68 | 92 | 34.1 | $929K | +6.2% | #432 of 2,405 |
| 9Saluda County, SC | 62 | 31 | 40.4 | $785K | +4.1% | #678 of 2,405 |
| 10Oconee County, SC | 61 | 142 | 41.1 | $850K | +6.3% | #706 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 sit-down restaurants are in Dorchester County, SC?
Dorchester County has 301 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 112 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 38 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 301 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $817K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. 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 sit-down restaurants?
Dorchester County has 47.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $817K, 23% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 371, against 301 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 679 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% 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 73 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #308 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 sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · 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.