County food-access profile · South Carolina
Dorchester County, SC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Dorchester County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 25.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.9%
- on SNAP
- 167K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.0% of Dorchester County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 3.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.4%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Dorchester County's low-access share at 25.0%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 25 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 34,109 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,339 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Dorchester County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Dorchester County's 25.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,296 most-affected nationwide.
Dorchester County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Dorchester County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Dorchester County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Dorchester
Dorchester County, SC
25 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 136,555 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 34,109 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,339 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 167,201 |
| Median Household Income | $78,198 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,597 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 8.9% of Dorchester County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,597 households here.
- 3.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Dorchester County
above the national share
2 of Dorchester County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.0% of all its tracts.
A further 13 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 34,109 residents, roughly 25.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,339 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Dorchester County
Dorchester County has 118 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 58 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 58
- 7-eleven 40476h, summerville
- bp gas station, summerville
- busy corner 2, summerville
- circle k 2702122, summerville
- circle k 2721554, summerville
- circle k 2723992, north charleston
- circle k 272593, summerville
- circle k 272788, summerville
- circle k 272794, summerville
- circle k 6473, north charleston
- citgo, summerville
- complete corner market, summerville
- country corner #8, ridgeville
- country corner #9, ridgeville
- fast break, summerville
- greenwave mart, summerville
- hop in swami 1, summerville
- hot spot 1601, summerville
- hot spot 1608, harleyville
- joe's kwik mart 7016, north charleston
- joe's kwik mart 7018, summerville
- jr's gas & grocery, ridgeville
- king's one stop, llc, dorchester
- knightsville market, summerville
- murphy express 8748, summerville
- nouria 2722 highway 15 north 892, harleyville
- nouria 4137 ladson road 871, ladson
- nouria 5963 jim bilton boulevard 879, saint george
- nouria 9607 charleston highway 894, saint george
- om market llc, summerville
- parker's 115, summerville
- parker's 71, summerville
- parkers 80, summerville
- parkers 83, north charleston
- pilot travel center 4576, saint george
- pilot travel center 493, saint george
- pilot travel center 64, summerville
- pops 308, saint george
- quick way 11, summerville
- racetrac 2634, saint george
- refuel 1048, summerville
- refuel 61, summerville
- sams market, summerville
- short trip #108, summerville
- speedway 2838, summerville
- spinx 352, north charleston
- spinx 353, summerville
- spinx 359, summerville
- spinx 366, summerville
- spinx 378, summerville
- st. george mart, saint george
- sunoco 2672 2672, north charleston
- sunoco 2684 2684, summerville
- sunoco 2685 2685, summerville
- trolley mart, summerville
- vaanis mart, saint george
- yogi mahany, summerville
- zone mart, north charleston
Combination Grocery/Other · 33
- big lots 3306, summerville
- cvs pharmacy 3113, summerville
- cvs pharmacy 4395, summerville
- cvs pharmacy 563, summerville
- cvs pharmacy 7537, north charleston
- cvs pharmacy 4204, summerville
- cvs pharmacy 5548, saint george
- cvs pharmacy 5580, summerville
- dollar general 2849, summerville
- dollar general 4799, saint george
- dollar tree 1307, summerville
- dollartree 9811, summerville
- dollartree plus 9027, summerville
- dollar general 10318, summerville
- dollar general 11361, harleyville
- dollar general 11431, summerville
- dollar general 13354, summerville
- dollar general 1772, summerville
- dollar general store 16203, ridgeville
- dollar tree 3054, north charleston
- dollar tree 7402, summerville
- family dollar store 4647, summerville
- family dollar 10945, summerville
- family dollar 4207, summerville
- family dollar 518, saint george
- family dollar 6344, summerville
- family dollar 9240, north charleston
- family dollar store 340, summerville
- mac b meats, saint george
- walgreens 6073, summerville
- walgreens 7702, summerville
- walgreens 9738, summerville
- wholly cow meats, saint george
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 36, summerville
- aldi 41, summerville
- food lion 1542, summerville
- food lion 2532, n charleston
- food lion 2247, summerville
- food lion 2850, saint george
- food lion 2852, summerville
- lowes foods 270, summerville
- publix 1120, summerville
- publix 483, summerville
- piggly wiggly 185, saint george
- publix 0824, n charleston
Super Store · 7
- harris teeter 355, summerville
- harris teeter 363, summerville
- lidl 1455, north charleston
- piggly wiggly 299, summerville
- walmart neighborhood market 5279, summerville
- walmart neighborhood market 6174, summerville
- walmart supercenter 628, summerville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- la mexicana summerville, summerville
- panaderia tlaxcalita, north charleston
Seafood Specialty · 2
- h&l seafood, north charleston
- summerville seafood, summerville
Farmers' Market · 1
- dorchester farmers market, dorchester
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- coastal produce air market, summerville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- shuman foods, reevesville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- las americas, summerville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Dorchester County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Dorchester County sits inside South Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Dorchester County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Dorchester County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Dorchester County? ▼
Is Dorchester County a food desert? ▼
What share of Dorchester County households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.