Charleston Regional Development Alliance

Berkeley, Charleston & Dorchester Counties

Printed from www.crda.org

Dorchester County


Add to Report Download in Excel

Dorchester County S.C. Data Profile

Statistical Profile 
Total Area (land and water) 576 sq mi (1,492 sq km)
County Seat St. George
Form of Government Council/Administrator
Gross Retail Sales (2008)1 $1.6 billion


Population & Demographics2
Population 2000 2010 % Change 2020 Projection
Dorchester County 96,413 136,555 41.6% 149,300
Population by Age 2000 2010
19 or younger 31.4% 29.9%
20-24 5.2% 5.9%
25-34 14.0% 13.6%
35-54 31.7% 29.3%
55-64 8.6% 11.2%
65+ 9.1% 10.1%
Median Age 34.7 35.6
Population by Gender 2000 2010
Male 48.9% 48.6%
Female 51.1% 51.4%
Population by Race 2000 2010
White 71.0% 67.8%
Black or African-American 25.1% 25.8%
Asian 1.1% 1.5%
Other 2.8% 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)3 1.8 4.4%
Households 2000 2009
Total Households (2000 and 2010 Census) 34,688 50,259
Median Household Income $43,316 $52,138
Average Household Income $51,882 $63,812
Educational Attainment 2000 2009
High School Diploma (or equivalent) or higher 82.2% 89.3%
Bachelors Degree or higher 21.4% 26.1%
Advanced Degree 7.3% 10.1%


Labor Force4
Labor Market 2000 2010 % Change
Civilian Labor Force 47,170 64,493 36.7%
Employment 45,760 58,513 27.9%
Unemployment rate (%) 3.0% 9.3%
Employment by Sector 20025 2010 % Change
County-wide employment 28,071 28,107 0.1%
Natural resources / mining / construction 8.5% 5.3%
Manufacturing 18.5% 12.8%
Trade / transportation / utilities 21.5% 21.5%
Information 0.7% 0.8%
Financial activities 2.3% 3.3%
Professional & business services 8.9% 7.1%
Educational & health services 9.2% 10.3%
Leisure & hospitality industries 9.4% 13.8%
Other services 3.2% 4.2%
Government / public administration 17.8% 20.9%


Selected Leading Employers6
Firm Product or Service # of Employees
Robert Bosch Corporation Antilock brake systems, fuel injectors, common rail & unit injectors 1,475
iQor Inbound/outbound customer service call center 460
IHG Inbound reservation center 450
Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Services Remanufacture automobile transmissions 325
Giant Cement Holding Inc. Headquarters for cement plant operations 250
Knight's Companies Knight's Septic Tank, Knight's Redi-Mix, Knight's Pre-Cast, Knight's Trucking, Knight's Block, all serving the construction industry 220
Showa Denko Carbon, Inc. Manufacture graphite electrodes for steel-making industry 210
KapStone Summerville Lumber Mill  Lumber 125
Linde Material Handling NA Distribution of industrial & commercial machinery 110
Key West Boats, Inc. Fiberglass boat manufacturing 100


Notes & Sources:
(1) S.C. Dept of Revenue
(2) U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey and 2000 Census;
population projections from S.C. Budget and Control Board, Office of Research & Statistics
(3) Persons of Hispanic/Latino origin may be of any race
(4) S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce
(5) NAICS comparable historic data only available back to 2002 by county
(6) Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 09/2010