County · Maryland

Dorchester County, Maryland

Dorchester County, Maryland. Dorchester County had 33,628 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 3.4% since 2020, faster than Maryland (+1.4%). It holds 14 places (9 cities, villages and boroughs and 5 census-designated) and 10 census tracts. GEOID 24019.

Dorchester County is the county of the Cambridge, MD micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

33,628

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 32,531 · ACS 2020-2024: 32,754

Median household income

$61,839

±$4,414 (90% margin)
Maryland: $103,678

Median home value

$262,400

±$12,508 (90% margin)
Maryland: $419,900

Median gross rent

$1,032

±$82 (90% margin)
Maryland: $1,705

How many people live in Dorchester County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 32,531 residents in Dorchester County. The Census Bureau estimates 33,628 for July 1, 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, faster than Maryland (+1.4%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 32,754 over 541 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +73 (32,596)
2021→2022 +9 (32,605)
2022→2023 +376 (32,981)
2023→2024 +227 (33,208)
2024→2025 +420 (33,628)

Dorchester County in Maryland. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Dorchester County	Maryland	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	32,754	6,206,011	+616
Households	13,546±385	2,362,928	no clear change
Average household size	2.38±0.07	2.57	no clear change
Housing units	16,433±30	2,560,784	−314

Dorchester County's population since 2000

From 30,674 in 2000 to 33,628 in 2025: up 9.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 30,674
2005 (estimate) 31,422
2010 Census 32,618
2015 (estimate) 32,431
2020 Census 32,531
2025 (estimate) 33,628

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Dorchester County?

Dorchester County holds 14 places: 9 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Cambridge with 13,457 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Dorchester County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Cambridge	city	13,096	13,152±34	$47,323	$257,900	26.4%	100%
Hurlock	town	2,070	2,819±523	$58,511	$202,700	18.2%	100%
Algonquin	CDP	1,220	1,074±267	$76,500	$342,600	10.7%	100%
Secretary	town	472	635±227	$82,721	$172,000	5.5%	100%
East New Market	town	389	246±101	$42,917	$268,100	27.6%	100%
Vienna	town	270	382±129	$100,313	$229,400	6.9%	100%
MadisonGEOID 2449700	CDP	205	133±65	not published	not published	24.0%	100%
Fishing CreekGEOID 2428300	CDP	173	207±176	not published	$275,000	0.0%	100%
Taylors IslandGEOID 2476925	CDP	125	127±86	not published	$476,000	0.0%	100%
GalestownGEOID 2431250	town	111	114±56	not published	$246,400	14.0%	100%
Church CreekGEOID 2417050	town	102	135±49	$61,750	$266,200	14.1%	100%
BrookviewGEOID 2410575	town	48	33±20	not published	not published	21.2%	100%
EldoradoGEOID 2425600	town	45	30±20	$51,563	$183,300	0.0%	100%
ElliottGEOID 2426025	CDP	43	10±15	not published	not published	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Dorchester County?

The median resident of Dorchester County is 43.5 years old; 21.0% are under 18 and 23.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 60.7%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 24.8%. 4.5% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Dorchester County	Maryland	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	43.5±0.5	39.4	−1.1
Under 18 years	21.0%±0.1 pts	22.2%	–
65 years and over	23.0%±0.2 pts	16.7%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6.1%	12.5%	+0.5 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	60.7%±0.5 pts	46.6%	−2.2 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	24.8%±1.2 pts	28.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.2%±0.2 pts	6.5%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	6.4%±1.2 pts	4.6%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.5 pts	0.7%	–
Born outside the United States	4.5%±1.0 pts	16.6%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.1%±1.1 pts	21.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.9%±1.1 pts	6.8%	–
With a disability	16.7%±1.6 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.5%±1.3 pts	6.3%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	86.3%±2.1 pts	91.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	19.4%±1.8 pts	43.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	7.4%±1.1 pts	20.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.9%±0.4 pts	2.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Dorchester County earn?

Half of Dorchester County's 13,546 households earn less than $61,839 a year (±$4,414), against $103,678 in Maryland. In 2015-2019 it was $65,125 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 17.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Dorchester County	Maryland	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$61,839±$4,414	$103,678	no clear change
Mean household income	$84,771±$4,861	$136,642	–
Per capita income	$35,605±$1,778	$52,979	no clear change
People below the poverty line	17.1%±2.2 pts	9.4%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	29.4%±4.8 pts	11.5%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	21.0%±2.4 pts	11.2%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.8%±2.1 pts	92.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Dorchester County?

Owners occupy 65.6% of Dorchester County's occupied homes and renters 34.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $262,400 by its owner (±$12,508). The median renter pays $1,032 a month including utilities, and 49.5% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Dorchester County	Maryland	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$262,400±$12,508	$419,900	+$36,814
Median gross rent	$1,032±$82	$1,705	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	49.5%±6.0 pts	42.3%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,704±$53	$2,347	–
Owner-occupied homes	65.6%±2.8 pts	67.6%	no clear change
Housing units	16,433±30	2,560,784	−314
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.4%±1.1 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.0%±3.6 pts	4.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	73.4%±2.2 pts	51.2%	–
Mobile homes	7.1%±1.4 pts	1.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.2%±0.5 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	18.5%±1.9 pts	10.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Dorchester County building?

Builders took permits for 64 new housing units across Dorchester County in 2025 (64 single-family), 1.9 per 1,000 residents.

2019 54 units
2020 58 units
2021 69 units
2022 74 units
2023 69 units
2024 79 units
2025 64 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Dorchester County get to work?

78.7% of Dorchester County's workers drive alone and 7.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 26.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Dorchester County	Maryland	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	58.7%±2.3 pts	67.1%	–
Unemployment rate	5.7%±1.4 pts	4.9%	−2.3 pts
Drove alone to work	78.7%±2.5 pts	64.7%	–
Carpooled	10.3%±2.3 pts	7.7%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.1 pts	4.2%	–
Walked	1.9%±0.8 pts	2.0%	–
Worked from home	7.3%±1.5 pts	19.3%	+3.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	26.9 min±1.8	31.1 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Dorchester County's census tracts?

Dorchester County is divided into 10 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $16,605 (Tract 9705) to $88,194 (Tract 9707.02).

Census tracts of Dorchester County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 970124019970100	Vienna (5%)	2,653	3,156±367	$85,701	$256,600	not published	9.0%
Tract 970224019970200	Hurlock (28%)	5,666	5,688±616	$69,475	$230,200	$880	13.9%
Tract 970324019970300	East New Market (11%)	4,577	4,399±504	$70,274	$261,100	$1,196	6.3%
Tract 970424019970400	Cambridge (96%)	3,337	3,386±501	$62,798	$293,100	$1,057	12.3%
Tract 970524019970500	Cambridge (94%)	4,106	3,988±485	$16,605	$320,200	$871	54.2%
Tract 970624019970600	Cambridge (90%)	5,232	4,912±525	$47,610	$222,000	$1,160	15.9%
Tract 9707.0224019970702	Algonquin (17%)	3,862	4,100±463	$88,194	$342,900	$994	12.1%
Tract 9708.0424019970804	Madison (5%)	1,788	1,823±258	$80,556	$286,500	$1,256	14.5%
Tract 970924019970900	Elliott (1%)	1,310	1,302±193	$84,519	$301,500	$1,330	14.3%
Tract 990024019990000	–	0	0±14	not published	not published	not published	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Dorchester County compare with Maryland's other counties?

Dorchester County's rank among Maryland's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	21st of 24
Growth 2020-2025	5th of 24
Residents per square mile	23rd of 24
Median household income	23rd of 24
Median home value	19th of 24
Median gross rent	21st of 24
Poverty rate	2nd of 24
Bachelor's degree or higher	22nd of 24
Median age	6th of 24

Every county in Maryland

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Dorchester County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.