Date Formed:

1769

Land Area (square miles):

587

County Seat:

Beaufort

Other Cities and Towns:

Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Port Royal, Yemassee

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Lowcountry

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Both Beaufort County and its county seat were named for Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort (1684-1714), one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. The district was formed in 1769 from the parishes of Prince William, St. Luke, St. Helena, and St. Peter. It remained relatively unchanged in size until 1878, when a large portion was removed to form Hampton County. French explorers visited this area long before the English arrived. They established a fort in 1562, as did the Spanish in 1566; neither of these settlements survived, however. Beaufort, the second oldest town in South Carolina, was founded in 1710. In the years before the Civil War, rice and sea island cotton plantations brought great wealth to the region. Federal troops occupied Beaufort in December 1861, and the first school in the South for freed slaves was established during the Civil War at what is now Penn Center on St. Helena Island. Some famous residents of Beaufort County are naturalists Alexander Garden (ca. 1730-1791) and Stephen Elliott (1771-1830); Robert Smalls (1839-1915), a former slave who became a United States Congressman; boxer Joe Frazier; and writer Pat Conroy.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

65,364

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

55,573

Population 1990:

86,425

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

4.25%

Population 2000:

120,937

Percent Change 2005-2006:

2.5%

Population Estimate 2006:

143,614

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

251.0

Population Estimate 2007:

147,316

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:

38,544

Personal Income 2006:

$5,992,159

Jobs 1990:

49,653

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2006:

$41,724

Jobs 2000:

71,160

% of U.S. PCPI 2006:

114%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

4.23%

Average Wage Per Job 2006:

$33,257

Jobs 2005:

77,430

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

79%

Jobs 2006:

78,552

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

4.0%

Numeric Change 2005-2006:

1,122

Unemployment Rate 2007 Ann. Avg:

4.8%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2006:

$1,651,283,495

Per Capita Assessed Property 2005:

$13,654

County Base Millage Rate* 2007:

0.0519

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2007:

$1,586,137

Local Option Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY 2006:

$2,662,718,004

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2006:

$3,624,909

School District Sales Tax:

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2006:

$5,308,440

Transportation Sales Tax:

1% (passed 11-06)

* 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:

$135,177,985

Per Capital Revenues:

$1,118

Total Expenditures FY 2006:

$134,607,826

Per Capita Expenditures:

$1,113

General Fund Budget FY 2008:

$91,000,000

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$752

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2007:

$205,482,779

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$79

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2007:

Payroll FY 2008:

$49,000,000

Moodys:

Aa2

Full-Time Employees FY 2008:

1164

Standard & Poor:

Part-Time Employees FY 2008:

148

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

9.62

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