Date Formed:

1682

Land Area (square miles):

1,098

County Seat:

Moncks Corner

Other Cities and Towns:

Bonneau, Charleston, Goose Creek, Hanahan, Jamestown, North Charleston, St. Stephen, Summerville

Form of Government:

Council-Supervisor

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester

County History

Berkeley County was named for two of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Lord John Berkeley (d. 1678) and Sir William Berkeley (d. 1677). The county was originally named in 1682, and at one time it included the parishes of St. John Berkeley, St. James Goose Creek, St. James Santee, St. Stephen, St. Thomas, and St. Denis. In 1769 this area became part of Charleston District, and it did not become a separate county again until 1882. The county seat was Mount Pleasant from 1882 until 1895, when it was moved to Moncks Corner. This area was settled in the late seventeenth century by English and French Huguenot planters and their African slaves. Many of the old rice plantations are now covered by the waters of Lake Moultrie, which was built in the 1940s as part of the Santee-Cooper hydroelectric project. Two famous Revolutionary War generals were residents of the area: William Moultrie (1730-1805) and Francis Marion (1732-1795), known as the Swamp Fox. Henry Laurens (1724-1792), president of the Continental Congress, resided at Mepkin Plantation, which many years later was purchased by publisher Henry Luce (1898-1967).

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

94,727

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

47,924

Population 1990:

128,776

Numeric Change 2000-2007:

20,971

Population 2000:

142,651

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

2.52%

Population Estimate 2006:

158,614

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2007:

2.10%

Population Estimate 2007:

163,622

Percent Change 2006-2007:

3.06%

Persons Per Square Mile 2007:

149.0

Economic Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Jobs 1980:

20,742

Personal Income (PI) 2006:

$4,293,508

Jobs 1990:

27,656

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2006:

9.8%

Jobs 2000:

36,308

Per Capita Personal Income 2006:

$27,069

Jobs 2005:

40,264

% of U.S. PCPI 2006:

74%

Jobs 2006:

41,728

Average Wage Per Job 2006:

$36,012

Numeric Change Jobs 2005-2006:

1,464

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

86%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

3.75%

Unemployment Rate 2007:

4.9%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 2000-2006:

0.67%

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

4.6%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2005:

$594,753,770

Per Capita Assessed Property 2005:

$4,169

County Base Millage Rate 2007:

0.051

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2007:

$573,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

1.0%

Millage Cap FY09:

6.0%

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY06:

$1,646,962,427

School District Sales Tax:

Admissions Tax Collected FY06:

$480,797

Transportation Sales Tax:

Accommodations Tax Collected FY06:

$425,747

Financial & Employment Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Total Revenues FY06:

$66,524,082

Per Capita Revenues:

$466

Total Expenditures FY06:

$117,153,704

Per Capita Expenditures:

$821

General Fund Budget FY08:

$54,116,330

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$379

Total Debt Outstanding FY07:

$38,142,717

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$233

Payroll FY 2008:

$26,036,969

Credit Rating(s) FY07

Full-Time Employees FY08:

771

Moody's:

Part-Time Employees FY08

Standard & Poor:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

5.40

Fitch: