GEORGETOWN COUNTY
Date Formed:  1769
Land Area (square miles): 815
County Seat: Georgetown
Other Cities and Towns:
Andrews, Pawleys Island
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Waccamaw
County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room
Georgetown County and its county seat were named for King George II of England. Spanish explorers are believed to have visited this coastal area in 1526, but no permanent settlement was established. English planters and their African slaves moved into the region in the early eighteenth century, building large rice and indigo plantations. The town of Georgetown, which was established around 1730, was a busy port serving the surrounding plantations. Georgetown District was first named in 1769 and in 1785 the district was divided into four counties: Liberty (which became Marion District in 1800), Kingston (which became Horry District in 1801), Williamsburg (which became a separate district in 1804), and Winyah (which was renamed Georgetown in 1800). Many famous South Carolinians were residents of Georgetown County, including Thomas Lynch, Jr. (1749-1779), a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), U.S. Congressman, Secretary of War, and Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the poinsettia to the U.S.; and Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887), the first African-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980: 42,461 22 Numeric Change 1980-2000: 13,336 19
Population 1990: 46,302 22 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000: 1.57% 15
Population 2000:  55,797 22 Percent Change 2005-2006: 0.8% 18
Population Estimate 2006: 60,007 22 Persons Per Square Mile 2006: 74.2 25
Population Estimate 2007: 60,499 22
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: 14,890 23 Personal Income 2006: $1,951,648 18
Jobs 1990: 19,081 23 Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2006: $32,524 6
Jobs 2000: 23,547 20 % of U.S. PCPI 2006: 89% 6
Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:  2.91% 8 Average Wage Per Job 2006:  $30,105 25
Jobs 2005: 25,203 19 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2006:  72% 25
Jobs 2006: 26,127 18 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  7.9% 15
Numeric Change 2005-2006: 924 13 Unemployment Rate 2007 Ann. Avg: 6.8% 24
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2006: $530,884,258 11 Per Capita Assessed Property 2005: $9,515 2
County Base Millage Rate* 2007: 0.0492 45 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)
Value of One Mil 2007: $543,400 10 Local Option Sales Tax:  
Net Taxable Sales FY 2006: $726,278,257 17 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2006: $977,020 8 School District Sales Tax:  
Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2006: $1,273,985 6 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: $46,397,644 16 Per Capital Revenues: $832 7
Total Expenditures FY 2006: $66,714,192 13 Per Capita Expenditures: $1,196 1
General Fund Budget FY 2008: $21,694,000 22 Per Capita General Fund Budget: $389 28
Total Debt Outstanding FY 2007: $17,620,000 16 Per Capita Debt Outstanding: $282 12
Credit Ratings(s) FY 2007: Payroll FY 2008: $20,043,061 14
 Moodys: A1 Full-Time Employees FY 2008:  649 14
Standard & Poor:   Part-Time Employees FY 2008: 69 19
Fitch:   Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   11.63 1
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 5/6/2008 16:45