Date Formed:

1785

Land Area (square miles):

799

County Seat:

Chesterfield

Other Cities and Towns:

Cheraw, Jefferson, McBee, Mount Croghan, Pageland, Patrick, Ruby

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Pee Dee

County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room

Chesterfield County was named for the English statesman Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773). The county seat is the town of Chesterfield, but the oldest town in the county is Cheraw, which was settled around 1748. The county was formed in 1785, but until 1800 it was part of the larger Cheraws District. Welsh settlers from Pennsylvania and Delaware moved into this region in the mid-eighteenth century, and they were later joined by Scotch-Irish and English. Cheraw was a center for transportation along the Great Pee Dee River, but most of the county is agricultural. General Sherman's troops passed through this area during the Civil War, briefly occupying the towns of Cheraw and Chesterfield. Cheraw State Park, founded in 1934, is the oldest of the state parks. Jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) was a native of Chesterfield County.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

38,161

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

4,607

Population 1990:

38,577

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.60%

Population 2000:

42,768

Percent Change 2005-2006:

0.3%

Population Estimate 2006:

42,627

Persons Per Square Mile 2006:

53.5

Population Estimate 2007:

42,761

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:

12,922

Personal Income 2006:

$989,288

Jobs 1990:

16,231

Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2006:

$23,208

Jobs 2000:

17,485

% of U.S. PCPI 2006:

63%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

1.77%

Average Wage Per Job 2006:

$28,817

Jobs 2005:

14,844

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

69%

Jobs 2006:

15,073

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

8.1%

Numeric Change 2005-2006:

229

Unemployment Rate 2007 Ann. Avg:

8.3%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2006:

$105,065,634

Per Capita Assessed Property 2005:

$2,457

County Base Millage Rate* 2007:

0.08073

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2007:

$102,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

1.0%

Net Taxable Sales FY 2006:

$220,648,715

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2006:

$24,469

School District Sales Tax:

1.0%

Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2006:

$43,884

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:

$13,476,606

Per Capital Revenues:

$315

Total Expenditures FY 2006:

$14,398,126

Per Capita Expenditures:

$337

General Fund Budget FY 2008:

$15,583,682

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$364

Total Debt Outstanding FY 2007:

$4,054,427

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$92

Credit Ratings(s) FY 2007:

Payroll FY 2008:

$5,435,127

Moodys:

Full-Time Employees FY 2008:

210

Standard & Poor:

Part-Time Employees FY 2008:

Fitch:

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

4.91

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