In Dorchester County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Dorchester County, 26.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dorchester County's score
In Dorchester County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 81.4. Late payments on loans come next, at 69.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dorchester County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Dorchester County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($84,239, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.8% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 69.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.2% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.6 · 202543rd percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,239 · 202415th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Dorchester County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Dorchester County, 15.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dorchester County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dorchester County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Dorchester County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dorchester County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.4% in 2019 to 9.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Dorchester County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dorchester County, South Carolina.
How Dorchester County has changed
Dorchester County's population had its largest rise, from 107,337 in 2004 to 133,560 in 2009.
Dorchester County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 174,663, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 94,966. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dorchester County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dorchester County more than doubled to 41,814, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 41,814. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dorchester County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,393 | 2024 $84,239 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dorchester County's history
1897
Not established as separate county until 1897 from parts of Colleton and Berkeley counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $3,093,450 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $3,093,450 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 161,540, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dorchester County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dorchester County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Dorchester County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dorchester County ranks 3rd of the five; Orangeburg County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County, SC | 96 | 21.0% | 37.0% |
| Colleton County, SC | 92 | 21.0% | 35.4% |
| Dorchester County, SC | 62 | 9.1% | 23.2% |
| Berkeley County, SC | 58 | 8.9% | 19.1% |
| Charleston County, SC | 38 | 10.3% | 13.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Dorchester County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Dorchester County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 43rd highest of 46 in South Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Allendale County, at 31.6%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Dorchester County ranks 36th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dorchester County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
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Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Dorchester County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Dorchester County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.