Date Formed:

1897

Land Area (square miles):

456

County Seat:

Greenwood

Other Cities and Towns:

Hodges, Ninety Six, Troy, Ware Shoals

Form of Government:

Council-Manager

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

2 years

Council of Government:

Upper Savannah

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Greenwood County takes its name from its county seat, Greenwood. The town of Greenwood was named around 1824 for the plantation of an early resident, John McGehee. Greenwood County was formed in 1897 from parts of Abbeville and Edgefield counties, which were originally part of the old Ninety Six District. This part of the backcountry was not settled until the mid-eighteenth century. The town of Ninety Six was established as a frontier trading post around 1730, and it was the site in November 1775 of one of the first South Carolina battles of the American Revolution. In May 1781 American forces besieged the British-held Star Fort at Ninety Six for over a month but were forced to withdraw when British reinforcements approached. The arrival of the railroad in 1852 stimulated cotton growing and textile manufacturing in this area. Local plantation owner Francis Salvador (1747-1776), who was killed fighting Cherokees during the Revolutionary War, was the first Jewish person elected to the state legislature. U.S. Congressman Preston Smith Brooks (1819-1857) and educator Benjamin Mays (1894-1984) were also residents of Greenwood County.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

57,847

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

8,424

Population 1990:

59,567

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.72%

Population 2000:

66,271

Percent Change 2005-2006:

0.5%

Population Estimate 2005:

67,860

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

149.6

Population Estimate 2006:

68,213

Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Community Profile Demographic Data

Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Kids Count

Economic Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Jobs 1980:

29,651

Personal Income 2005:

$1,728,452

Jobs 1990:

31,880

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$25,471

Jobs 2000:

35,543

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

74%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.99%

Average Wage Per Job 2005:

$30,432

Jobs 2004:

33,460

% of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2005:

76%

Jobs 2005:

33,447

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

7.1%

Numeric Change 2004-2005:

-13

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

8.1%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$241,679,751

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$3,647

County Base Millage Rate* 2006:

0.0603

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2006:

$147,705

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$716,593,878

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

1% (passed 11-06)

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$215,742

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$139,600

Transportation Sales Tax:

* County Base Millage Rate reflects county mils only and does not include millages charged by other taxing entities (cities, schools, etc.)

Link to SC Employment Security Commission - Top Employers by County

Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Community Profile Demographic Data

Financial and Employment Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Total Revenues FY 2004:

$30,161,159

Per Capital Revenues:

$455

Total Expenditures FY 2004:

$24,350,061

Per Capita Expenditures:

$367

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$21,547,191

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$325

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$7,516,772

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$111

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$13,200,000

Moodys:

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

388

Standard & Poor:

A+

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

5.85

Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Local Government Finance Report (Full document in Excel)

Sources: County histories obtained from the South Carolina State Library Reference Room at http://www.state.sc.us/scsl/cnties.html. All other sources are listed in the appendix tables.

Updated

9/12/2007 16:25

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