Date Formed:

1785

Land Area (square miles):

682

County Seat:

York

Other Cities and Towns:

Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, McConnells, Rock Hill, Sharon, Smyrna, Tega Cay

Form of Government:

Council-Manager

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

2 years

Council of Government:

Catawba

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

York County and its county seat were named for York County, Pennsylvania. The county was first established in 1785 as part of Camden District. From 1791 to 1800 it was part of Pinckney District, and it became a separate district when Pinckney was dissolved in 1800. Part of the county went to form Cherokee County in 1897. When European settlers arrived, this part of the state was inhabited by the Catawba Indians. The Catawbas signed a treaty with the English in 1763, relinquishing their rights to much of their land. This treaty opened up the area to Scotch-Irish settlers moving down from Pennsylvania and up from the lowcountry. The Catawba Nation is now the only federally-recognized Indian tribe in the state. Two battles were fought in this area during the Revolutionary War, Williamson's Plantation (July 12, 1780) and Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780); the latter battle was a major victory for the Americans. Small-scale cotton farming was prevalent in the county in the nineteenth century, but textile mills became important in the twentieth century, contributing to the growth of the county's largest city, Rock Hill.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

106,720

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

57,894

Population 1990:

131,497

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

2.71%

Population 2000:

164,614

Percent Change 2005-2006:

4.5%

Population Estimate 2005:

190,111

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

291.8

Population Estimate 2006:

199,035

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:

41,675

Personal Income 2005:

$5,685,147

Jobs 1990:

53,360

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2005:

$18,871

Jobs 2000:

67,589

% of U.S. PCPI 2005:

87%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

3.11%

Average Wage Per Job 2005:

$33,596

Jobs 2004:

73,382

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

84%

Jobs 2005:

74,344

Avg. Unemployment 1996-2006:

5.4%

Numeric Change 2004-2005:

962

Unemployment Rate 2006 Ann. Avg:

6.4%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2004:

$787,081,210

Per Capita Assessed Property 2004:

$4,781

County Base Millage Rate* 2006:

0.0626

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2006:

$841,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2005:

$1,929,482,925

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$1,605,429

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2005:

$539,738

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:

$90,242,277

Per Capital Revenues:

$548

Total Expenditures FY 2004:

$63,427,900

Per Capita Expenditures:

$385

General Fund Budget FY 2007:

$72,547,315

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$441

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2006:

$37,653,604

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$198

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2006:

Payroll FY 2007:

$31,639,216

Moodys:

Aa3

Full-Time Employees FY 2007:

733

Standard & Poor:

A+

Part-Time Employees FY 2007:

110

Fitch:

AA-

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

4.45

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

9/19/2007 15:37

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