Date Formed:

1804

Land Area (square miles):

699

County Seat:

Lexington

Other Cities and Towns:

Batesburg-Leesville, Cayce, Chapin, Columbia, Gaston, Gilbert, Irmo, Pelion, Pineridge, South Congaree, Springdale, Summit, Swansea, West Columbia

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Central Midlands

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Lexington County and its county seat were named for the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts, the first battle of the American Revolution. This part of the state was designated as Lexington County from 1785 to 1791, then was merged back into the larger Orangeburg District. Lexington was eventually made a separate district in 1804. Small parts of the county later went to form Aiken (1871) and Calhoun (1908) counties. European settlement of this area began around 1718 when the British established a trading post on the Congaree River, which eventually became the town of Granby. Beginning in the 1730s many German, Swiss, and Scotch-Irish immigrants moved into the area and established small farms. Granby was the leading town and county seat for many years, but the growth of Columbia across the Congaree led to Granby's decline, and the county seat was moved to the town of Lexington in 1818. General Sherman's troops shelled the city of Columbia from the Lexington side of the Congaree during the Civil War. In 1930 Lake Murray was created on the Saluda River in Lexington County, covering many of the old farms and creating new recreational opportunities.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

140,353

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

75,661

Population 1990:

167,611

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

2.69%

Population 2000:

216,014

Percent Change 2005-2006:

2.2%

Population Estimate 2005:

234,934

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

343.6

Population Estimate 2006:

240,160

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:

43,244

Personal Income 2005:

$7,418,140

Jobs 1990:

63,080

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$31,575

Jobs 2000:

89,554

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

92%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

5.35%

Average Wage Per Job 2005:

$31,408

Jobs 2004:

94,699

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

78%

Jobs 2005:

97,926

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

3.5%

Numeric Change 2004-2005:

3,227

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

4.7%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$853,538,130

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$3,951

County Base Millage Rate* 2006:

0.0741

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2006:

$803,620

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$3,354,457,754

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$386,713

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$760,858

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:

$124,337,332

Per Capital Revenues:

$576

Total Expenditures FY 2004:

$109,080,794

Per Capita Expenditures:

$505

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$76,695,523

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$355

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$39,737,786

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$169

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$35,621,582

Moodys:

Aa2

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

1299

Standard & Poor:

AA-

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

126

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

6.01

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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