| FAIRFIELD COUNTY |
Revised 7/1/2008 |
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| Date
Formed: |
1785 |
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(working2008copy)_13426_image001.gif)
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| Land Area (square miles): |
687 |
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| County Seat: |
Winnsboro |
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| Other Cities and Towns: |
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| Ridgeway |
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| Form of Government: |
Council-Administrator |
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| Council Members: |
7 |
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| Method of Election |
Single Member |
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| Term Length |
4 years |
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| Council of Government: |
Central Midlands |
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| County History |
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| The origin of the name Fairfield is not known, but local legend
attributes it to a remark by Lord Cornwallis about the "fair
fields" of the area. The county was formed in 1785 as a part of Camden
District. The town of Winnsboro, which was settled around 1755, is the county
seat. Fairfield County lies between the upcountry and the lowcountry areas of
the state, and it was settled both by Scotch-Irish immigrants from colonies
to the north and by English and French Huguenot planters from the lowcountry.
In the colonial period this area was a center for the Regulator movement,
which sought to bring law and order to the backcountry. During the
Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters in Winnsboro from
October 1780 to January 1781; the county was also invaded by General
Sherman's troops during the Civil War. Cotton production was the major
economic activity of the area, but the county also produced Winnsboro Blue
Granite. Some prominent residents of the county were Regulator leader Thomas
Woodward (d. 1779), Revolutionary War soldier Richard Winn (1750-1818), and
artist Laura Glenn Douglas (1886-1962). |
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| Population Trends |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Population
1980: |
20,700 |
36 |
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Numeric Change
1980-2000: |
2,754 |
37 |
| Population
1990: |
22,295 |
36 |
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Numeric Change 2000-2007: |
-121 |
31 |
| Population
2000: |
23,454 |
38 |
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Avg. Ann.
Growth Rate 1980-2000: |
0.66% |
33 |
| Population Estimate 2006: |
23,626 |
37 |
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Avg. Ann.
Growth Rate 2000-2007: |
-0.07% |
31 |
| Population Estimate 2007: |
23,333 |
37 |
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Percent Change 2006-2007: |
-1.26% |
45 |
| Persons Per Square Mile 2007: |
34.0 |
43 |
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| Economic Data |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Jobs
1980: |
7,329 |
36 |
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Personal Income (PI) 2006: |
$600,738 |
35 |
| Jobs
1990: |
8,222 |
35 |
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Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2006: |
7.5% |
22 |
| Jobs
2000: |
8,277 |
37 |
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Per Capita Personal Income 2006: |
$25,427 |
26 |
| Jobs 2005: |
6,771 |
38 |
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% of U.S. PCPI 2006: |
69% |
26 |
| Jobs 2006: |
6,875 |
38 |
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Average Wage Per Job 2006: |
$35,511 |
9 |
| Numeric Change Jobs
2005-2006: |
104 |
29 |
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% of U.S. Avg.
Wage Per Job 2006: |
85% |
9 |
| Avg. Annual Growth Rate
1980-2000: |
0.65% |
35 |
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Unemployment Rate 2007: |
8.6% |
13 |
| Avg. Annual Growth Rate
2000-2006: |
0.21% |
21 |
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Avg. Unemployment
1998-2007: |
8.2% |
9 |
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| Tax Data |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Assessed Property 2005: |
$121,405,064 |
26 |
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Per Capita Assessed Property 2005: |
$5,176 |
8 |
| County Base Millage Rate
2007: |
0.1587 |
3 |
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Additional
Sales Tax (if applicable) |
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| Value of One Mil 2007: |
$117,271 |
26 |
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Local Option Sales Tax: |
1.0% |
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| Millage Cap FY09: |
2.9% |
31 |
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Capital Projects Sales Tax: |
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| Net Taxable Sales FY06: |
$104,098,857 |
38 |
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School District Sales Tax: |
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| Admissions Tax Collected
FY06: |
$3,100 |
39 |
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Transportation Sales Tax: |
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| Accommodations Tax Collected
FY06: |
$27,180 |
35 |
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| Financial &
Employment Data |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Total Revenues FY06: |
$22,309,528 |
26 |
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Per Capita Revenues: |
$951 |
6 |
| Total Expenditures FY06: |
$19,528,798 |
29 |
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Per Capita Expenditures: |
$833 |
8 |
| General Fund Budget FY08: |
$18,379,150 |
24 |
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Per Capita General Fund Budget: |
$784 |
2 |
| Total Debt Outstanding
FY07: |
$1,675,000 |
41 |
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Per Capita Debt Outstanding: |
$69 |
42 |
| Payroll FY 2008: |
$12,450,081 |
21 |
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Credit Rating(s) FY07 |
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| Full-Time Employees FY08: |
262 |
26 |
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Moody's: |
Baa1 |
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| Part-Time Employees FY08 |
35 |
31 |
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Standard & Poor: |
A- |
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| Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty
Residents: |
11.17 |
1 |
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Fitch: |
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