Date Formed:

1769

Land Area (square miles):

1106

County Seat:

Orangeburg

Other Cities and Towns:

Bowman, Branchville, Cope, Cordova, Elloree, Eutawville, Holly Hill, Livingston, Neeses, North, Norway, Rowesville, Santee, Springfield, Vance, Woodford

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

2 years

Council of Government:

Lower Savannah

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Orangeburg County and its county seat were named for William IV (1711-1751), Prince of Orange, the son-in-law of King George II. Orangeburg District was established in 1769, and from 1785 to 1791 it included four counties: Lexington, Orange, Winton, and Lewisburg. The district was reduced in size when Barnwell (1800) and Lexington (1804) districts were formed; parts of Orangeburg also went to form Aiken (1871) and Calhoun (1908) counties. Swiss and German farmers moved into this region around 1735, and English settlers from the lowcountry followed. The battle of Eutaw Springs was fought there during the Revolutionary War on September 8, 1781; it was the last major battle of the war in South Carolina. Large plantations using slave labor were established in Orangeburg in the nineteenth century, and the county became a major producer of cotton. Railroads arrived in the area early; Branchville became the first railroad junction in the state in 1840. Union troops under General Sherman passed through Orangeburg in February 1865. Orangeburg County was the birthplace of historian Alexander S. Salley (1871-1961) and singer Eartha Kitt.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

82,276

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

9,306

Population 1990:

84,803

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.56%

Population 2000:

91,582

Percent Change 2005-2006:

-0.1%

Population Estimate 2005:

90,916

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

82.1

Population Estimate 2006:

90,845

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:

29,397

Personal Income 2005:

$2,182,148

Jobs 1990:

34,910

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$20,989

Jobs 2000:

38,862

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

70%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

1.61%

Average Wage Per Job 2006:

$29,831

Jobs 2005:

35,546

% of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2006:

71%

Jobs 2006:

35,918

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

8.7%

Numeric Change 2005-2006:

372

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

9.5%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$269,352,811

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$2,941

County Base Millage Rate* 2007:

0.1261

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2007:

$228,748

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$781,946,826

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$154,981

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$528,522

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 2006:

$59,524,713

Per Capital Revenues:

$650

Total Expenditures FY 2006:

$57,622,930

Per Capita Expenditures:

$629

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$33,591,211

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$367

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$22,691,138

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$246

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$12,421,427

Moodys:

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

501

Standard & Poor:

BBB+

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

179

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

5.47

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

2/12/2008 15:16

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