How many people live in Dorchester County, SC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 174,700 people living in Dorchester County, SC. That makes Dorchester County the 12th-most populous county in South Carolina. It is home to 3.1% of people living in the state.
175K
population of Dorchester County, SC (2024)
3.1%
County share of the South Carolina population (2024)
About 174,700 people lived in Dorchester County, SC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Dorchester County, SC’s age demographics?
About 27,900 Dorchester County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 16% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 19.8% of South Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 41,200 Dorchester County residents, or 23.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of South Carolina’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Dorchester County, SC's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Dorchester County, SC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 61.3% of the Dorchester County, SC population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Dorchester County, SC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (25.1%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Dorchester County’s Hispanic population accounts for 7.8%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 2.3% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Dorchester County, SC has a higher share of a non-Hispanic two or more races population than South Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Dorchester County, SC is Summerville with about 44,300 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Dorchester County, SC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Summerville (pt.) | 44,274 |
| 2. | North Charleston (pt.) | 31,238 |
| 3. | St. George | 1,855 |
| 4. | Ridgeville | 1,234 |
| 5. | Harleyville | 740 |
| 6. | Reevesville | 197 |
| 7. | Lincolnville (pt.) | 3 |
| 8. | Balance of Dorchester County | 95,122 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
