Date Formed:

1916

Land Area (square miles):

360

County Seat:

McCormick

Other Cities and Towns:

Parksville, Plum Branch

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

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

Named for inventor Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884), McCormick County was formed in 1916 from parts of Edgefield, Abbeville, and Greenwood counties. The area was settled in the mid-18th century by Scotch-Irish, French Huguenot, and German farmers. The British built Fort Charlotte to protect the region after early inhabitants were massacred by Cherokee Indians at Long Cane in 1760; this fort was one of the first to be siezed by the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Around 1850 gold was discovered where the town of McCormick now stands. In 1871 Cyrus McCormick donated land from the Dorn Gold Mine for the town, which was named for him. S.C. Governor and U.S. Senator George McDuffie (1790-1851), Unionist leader James Louis Petigru (1789-1863), and Willington Academy educator Moses Waddel (1770-1840) have resided in the county. John C. Calhoun was also born in McCormick County. He served as a State Representative (1808), a U.S. Representative (1811-1817), President Monroe’s Secretary of War (1817-25), a U.S. Senator (1832-43, 1845-50), as Vice President under Presidents John Quincy Adams (1825-29) and Andrew Jackson (1829-32), and as Secretary of State under President Tyler (1844-45).

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

7,797

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

2,161

Population 1990:

8,868

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

1.38%

Population 2000:

9,958

Percent Change 2005-2006:

0.9%

Population Estimate 2005:

10,129

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

28.4

Population Estimate 2006:

10,226

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:

2,461

Personal Income 2005:

$205,607

Jobs 1990:

2,588

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$20,299

Jobs 2000:

2,495

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

59%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.07%

Average Wage Per Job 2005:

$25,581

Jobs 2004:

2,085

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

64%

Jobs 2005:

2,140

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

9.9%

Numeric Change 2004-2005:

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

11.1%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$31,649,668

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$3,178

County Base Millage Rate* 2006:

0.1137

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2006:

$33,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$27,000,145

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$45,393

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$38,284

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:

$5,801,971

Per Capital Revenues:

$583

Total Expenditures FY 2004:

$5,924,909

Per Capita Expenditures:

$595

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$6,439,651

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$647

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$24,685,320

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$2,442

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$2,755,407

Moodys:

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

Standard & Poor:

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

9.34

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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