County government · Dorchester County, SC

Dorchester County's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2024), Dorchester County took in $291 million and spent $263 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2024Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

County taxes41%Fees for services (sewer, water)27%Fines and other23%State tax money8.6%Federal tax money0.8%

What stands out

23%

of Dorchester County's money comes from interest, rents and other revenue.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people gets 5.4%.

County taxes41%

Property tax
25%$72.7 million
Sales tax
13%$37.1 million
Other taxes
3.5%$10.2 million
What's in other taxesOccupation and business licenses; other selective sales taxes and 2 more
  • Occupation and business licenses$7.5 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$2.0 million
  • Public utility licenses$741 thousand
  • Other licenses$46 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$77.4 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; other service charges and 3 more
  • Sewer$31.5 million
  • Other service charges$19.3 million
  • Water$17.1 million
  • Garbage collection$9.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$35 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.8%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
0.8%$2.4 million

State tax money8.6%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
8.6%$25.0 million

Fines and other23%

Interest, rents and other
23%$65.8 million
Fines
0.3%$932 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities28%Roads, transit and parking23%Running the government and other costs16%Police, fire, courts and jails16%Health and hospitals7.1%All other spending9.8%

What stands out

28%

of Dorchester County's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. county of 50,000 to 250,000 people spends 1.6%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
28%$74.0 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; garbage and solid waste and 1 more
  • Water supply$64.3 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$7.3 million
  • Sewer systems$2.4 million
Roads, transit and parking
23%$60.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; public transit and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$59.8 million
  • Public transit$458 thousand
  • Airports$333 thousand
Running the government and other costs
16%$42.2 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$27.3 million
  • Government buildings$7.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$4.9 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$2.4 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
16%$42.0 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; courts and legal services and 4 more
  • Police$19.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$11.0 million
  • Fire protection$8.2 million
  • Prisons and jails$2.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$765 thousand
  • Probation, parole and other corrections$46 thousand
Health and hospitals
7.1%$18.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$18.8 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.3%$16.5 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesLibraries and parks and recreation
  • Libraries$13.4 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.1 million
Interest on debt
2.5%$6.5 million
Housing and community development
1.1%$2.9 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Dorchester County. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of Dorchester County itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.