Signature · 8.9% SNAP (16th pct in SC)
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)
USDA FARA access plate
County Dorchester County, SC
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 25.0% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +2.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Georgetown County (+ 1.4 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Dorchester County ranks #1,289 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #19 of 45 counties in SC (25.0% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,289
- national by low-access %
- #19
- in SC
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 8.9% SNAP (16th pct in SC) (-3.2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
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
25 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Dorchester County has 19 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Dorchester County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in South Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Beaufort
Beaufort 49%
49 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg 27.1%
27.1 % low-access
- Georgetown
Georgetown 26.4%
26.4 % low-access
- Dorchester
Dorchester 25%
25 % low-access
- Fairfield
Fairfield 23.4%
23.4 % low-access
- Horry
Horry 23.4%
23.4 % low-access
- Barnwell 0
Barnwell 0%
0 % 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 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in South Carolina
One of 45 counties in South Carolina, 6 are shown here.
Compare Dorchester County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Nationwide peers for Dorchester County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Dorchester County (8.9%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside South Carolina.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside SC (25.0% here).
- Hampton city, VA · 25.0% low-access
- Hampton city, VA · 25.0% low-access
- Grand Forks County, ND · 25.0% low-access
- Grand Forks County, ND · 25.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside SC (8.9% here).
- Knox County, TN · 8.9% SNAP
- Knox County, TN · 8.9% SNAP
- Iron County, UT · 8.9% SNAP
- Iron County, UT · 8.9% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Dorchester County sits inside South Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Dorchester County, SC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 45035. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.