# Dorchester, South Carolina — #2,117 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.94 of 10. FIPS 45035. Population 169,833. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 169,800 people live in Dorchester, South Carolina. It ranks #2,117 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #17 of 46 in South Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.6% of a home's value each year, less than in 65% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 70% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 86% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76.5 years, longer than in 57% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 63% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 44), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 96% of counties. On this site's state scores, South Carolina gets 6.84 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.84 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.62 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.69 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 5.58 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.00 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.21 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 6.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.99 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 2.71 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2160 Berkeley, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45015.md
- #2335 Charleston, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45019.md
- #2936 Colleton, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45029.md
- #2865 Orangeburg, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45075.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/45035
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=45035
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy