Dorchester County, Maryland: commercial real estate data.
Dorchester County, Maryland has a population of 32,754 across 541 square miles, up 1.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.80 bn in 2024, 687 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 21 7(a) approvals worth $5.6 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Dorchester County
How many people live in Dorchester County
- Population32,754
- Households13,546
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$61,839
- Median age43.5
- Median gross rent$1,032 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$262,400
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over23,451
- Population under 186,865
- Share under 1821.0 percent
- Population 65 and over7,538
- Share 65 and over23.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6418,351
- Civilian labor force15,647
- Unemployment rate5.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.4 percent
- Rank by population among Maryland counties21st of 24
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1404th
Dorchester County is the 21st largest of 24 Maryland counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.0 percent against 21.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Dorchester County
Is Dorchester County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.89 percent
- Census 2020 base population32,523
- Births, 2024338
- Deaths, 2024405
- Natural change, 2024-67
- Net domestic migration, 2024257
- Net international migration, 202425
- Total net migration, 2024282
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024923
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1206th
The county has grown 1.89 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Dorchester County
Where people moving to Dorchester County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving896
- People arriving, from those returns1,504
- Adjusted gross income arriving$68.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$76,865
- Largest single originDorchester County Non-migrants (12,469 households)
- Largest single destination (12,469 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County Non-migrants | 12,469 | 23,768 | $823.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 276 | 467 | $25.7 m |
| Talbot County | 143 | 232 | $7.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 139 | 245 | $7.7 m |
| Caroline County | 109 | 170 | $4.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 91 | 145 | $11.8 m |
| Wicomico County | 84 | 149 | $4.3 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 71 | 111 | $4.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Dorchester County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Dorchester County
What the Dorchester County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.80 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.67 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.0 percent
- GDP change over five years31.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Maryland counties20th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1366th
- GDP per resident$54,973
Output grew 8.0 percent in the latest year and 31.3 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Dorchester County
Who employs people in Dorchester County
- Covered employment, annual average11,903
- Establishments reporting798
- Average annual pay$52,568
- Average weekly wage$1,011
- Sector 31-33, employment2,895
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$53,871
- Sector 44-45, employment1,267
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,111
- Sector 72, employment1,107
- Sector 72, average annual pay$27,886
- Sector 62, employment1,049
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,193
- Sector 23, employment523
- Sector 42, employment406
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,895 | 42 | $53,871 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,267 | 95 | $39,111 |
| Sector 72 | 1,107 | 61 | $27,886 |
| Sector 62 | 1,049 | 80 | $51,193 |
| Sector 23 | 523 | 87 | $54,088 |
| Sector 42 | 406 | 35 | $59,116 |
| Sector 48-49 | 383 | 46 | $54,511 |
| Sector 52 | 216 | 43 | $79,120 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,895 jobs, 24.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Dorchester County
What businesses operate in Dorchester County
- Establishments, all industries687
- Employment at those establishments9,537
- Annual payroll$488.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Dorchester County
What is being built in Dorchester County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202479
- Declared construction value permitted$20.1 m
- Single family units authorised79
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$254,245
- Units authorised per 1,000 households5.8
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Dorchester County
How much SBA lending happens in Dorchester County
- 7(a) approvals recorded21
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$266,781
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$10,000
- 90th percentile approval$852,000
- Largest single approval$2,220,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)102
- Jobs per approval4.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals17
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter16
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals9.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSnack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (2)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (16)
- 504 approvals recorded6
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.7 m
- Average 504 approval$284,000
- Median 504 approval$234,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval6.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved21.1
- Most active CDCBusiness Finance Group, Inc. (5)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals77.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$7.3 m
The average approval of $266,781 sits well above the median of $50,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 19.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dorchester County
Do SBA loans in Dorchester County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full0
- Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure17
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dorchester County
Which parts of Dorchester County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- CAMBRIDGE, approvals13
- HURLOCK, approvals6
- EAST NEW MARKET, approvals1
- EDGEWATER, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CAMBRIDGE | 13 | $4,760,400 |
| HURLOCK | 6 | $312,000 |
| EAST NEW MARKET | 1 | $30,000 |
| EDGEWATER | 1 | $500,000 |
CAMBRIDGE accounts for 13 approvals against 6 in HURLOCK. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dorchester County
How big is Dorchester County
- Land area541 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Maryland counties4th of 24
- Width, east to west34.4 mi
- Height, north to south39.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land61
- Establishments per square mile1.27
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Dorchester County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Dorchester County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population32,754
- Households13,546
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$61,839
- Median age43.5
Common questions
Dorchester County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Dorchester County, Maryland?
32,754, in 13,546 households, ranking 21st of 24 Maryland counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Dorchester County growing?
The population has grown 1.89 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 338 births against 405 deaths, with net migration of 282. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Dorchester County?
$61,839. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $262,400, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,032 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Dorchester County?
687 establishments, employing 9,537 people with an annual payroll of $488.3 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Dorchester County?
Average annual pay is $52,568, or $1,011 a week, across 11,903 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Dorchester County?
21 7(a) approvals totalling $5.6 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000, plus 6 504 approvals worth $1.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Dorchester County?
79 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $20.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Dorchester County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Dorchester County come from?
The largest single origin is Dorchester County Non-migrants, with 12,469 households. Arriving households report an average income of $76,865 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Dorchester County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Dorchester County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.