Date Formed:

1785

Land Area (square miles):

715

County Seat:

Laurens

Other Cities and Towns:

Clinton, Cross Hill, Fountain Inn, Gray Court, Ware Shoals, Waterloo

Form of Government:

Council

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Upper Savannah

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Laurens County and its county seat were named for Revolutionary War leader Henry Laurens (1724-1792). The county was established in 1785 as a part of Ninety Six District. This part of the state was settled primarily by Scotch-Irish and English immigrants in the mid 1700s, and during the American Revolution quite a few of its residents remained loyal to Great Britain. Several Revolutionary War battles were fought in the county, including the Battle of Musgrove's Mill (August 18, 1780). President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), a native of North Carolina, worked as a tailor in the town of Laurens for a brief time in the 1820s. Laurens County was also home to Ann Pamela Cunningham (1816-1875), the leader of the movement to preserve Mount Vernon, and educator Wil Lou Gray (1883-1984).

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

52,214

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

17,353

Population 1990:

58,092

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

1.66%

Population 2000:

69,567

Percent Change 2005-2006:

0.2%

Population Estimate 2005:

70,247

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

98.4

Population Estimate 2006:

70,374

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:

20,575

Personal Income 2005:

$1,688,934

Jobs 1990:

21,692

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$24,043

Jobs 2000:

22,744

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

70%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.53%

Average Wage Per Job 2005:

$28,544

Jobs 2004:

20,109

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

71%

Jobs 2005:

21,337

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

5.7%

Numeric Change 2004-2005:

1,228

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

6.9%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$162,175,938

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$2,331

County Base Millage Rate* 2006:

0.0798

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2006:

$150,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$340,490,338

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$56,621

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$87,306

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:

$27,215,951

Per Capital Revenues:

$391

Total Expenditures FY 2004:

$24,927,006

Per Capita Expenditures:

$358

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$16,121,782

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$232

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$11,701,755

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$166

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$9,417,850

Moodys:

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

354

Standard & Poor:

BBB+

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

Fitch:

AA-

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

5.09

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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