FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

Dorchester County, South Carolina

$439,861 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Opportunity Score: 31/100

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USDA Farm Subsidies — Dorchester County

$439,861 in USDA farm subsidies to Dorchester County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 57 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Disaster Payments $435,518
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) $3,651

Selected program components shown individually. These are separate EWG/USDA pulls and are not additive to the headline subsidy total — no combined "total" is shown. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database / USDA, 2024.

Crop Insurance Premium Subsidy

$2.0M in federal crop-insurance premium subsidy (RMA, 2024).

This is a separate program total (premium-subsidy dollars only) — it is not part of the subsidy headline above and is shown on its own. Source: USDA RMA via EWG, 2024.

Top Subsidy Recipients

# Recipient 2024 Total
1 W.S.G. $139,821
2 J.W. $45,914
3 Infinger Farms Partnership $30,092
4 J H Westbury & Sons $29,723
5 I And P Farms LLC $28,511
6 P.G.M. $23,042
7 Pendarvis Farms LLC $21,202
8 J.R.W. $15,712
9 J.H.W. $13,811
10 E.H. $9,199

Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2024). These named payments sum toward the headline total above. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.

About Farming in Dorchester County

Dorchester County has roughly 363 farms working about 79,233 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~218 acres per farm.

In Dorchester County, non-irrigated cropland rents for roughly $49/acre and farmland is valued near $3,959/acre (USDA NASS).

Local signals from public data: Above-average USDA $/acre — fewer gaps; Elevated beginning-producer presence (59 per 100 farms).

FarmGrant Opportunity Score

31 out of 100
Low Opportunity
#46 of 46 in South Carolina (2nd pctile)
7th national percentile
Funding Gap? 5.0/25
Program Eligibility? 15.0/25
Insurance Opportunity? 8.8/25
Economic Need? 3.0/25
What drives this score
  • Above-average USDA $/acre — fewer gaps
  • Elevated beginning-producer presence (59 per 100 farms)
  • Above-average women producers (54 per 100 farms)
  • High veteran population (13.0%)
  • Above-median loss ratio (2.21)

An opportunity-gap indicator (0–100) built from up to four public-data components — not a prediction that any farm will get funding or qualifies for a program. Sources: USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG subsidy records.

USDA Funding Per Acre

Historically, Dorchester County received about $5.55 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That ranks #1,403 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (79,233 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.

See how Dorchester County ranks against all U.S. counties →

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
169,833
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$78,329
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
10.2%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
2.6%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$49/ac
(USDA NASS, non-irrig.)
Land Value
$3,959/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
598
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
18,877
(USDA RMA)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does Dorchester County receive?

Dorchester County recipients received about $439,861 in USDA farm subsidies in 2024, per the EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm). This is a single-year county total of recorded payments, not a forecast of future funding.

What USDA programs are available to farmers in Dorchester County?

Farmers may be eligible for a range of USDA programs — conservation (e.g. CRP, EQIP), commodity support (ARC/PLC), disaster assistance, federal crop insurance, and FSA loans. Eligibility depends on your farm; use the free Subsidy Finder to see programs you could qualify for.

How is the FarmGrant Opportunity Score calculated?

The Opportunity Score (0–100; 31 for Dorchester County) is an opportunity-gap indicator built from up to four public-data components — funding gap, program eligibility, insurance opportunity, and economic need — using USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG records. It is not a prediction that any farm will receive funding or qualifies for a specific program.

Nearby Counties in South Carolina

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in Dorchester County may qualify for USDA programs based on crop, conservation, and disaster activity. Run the free Subsidy Finder to see which programs you could qualify for, then prep your local USDA office visit.

Find Your Programs Prep USDA Visit Deadlines

Data as of June 02, 2026. Subsidy figures: USDA/EWG 2024 release. Farmland acres: USDA NASS 2022 Census. Opportunity score refreshed monthly. Each figure above carries its own data year; this page is never fresher than its oldest input.