Date Formed:

1785

Land Area (square miles):

682

County Seat:

York

Other Cities and Towns:

Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, McConnells, Rock Hill, Sharon, Smyrna, Tega Cay

Form of Government:

Council-Manager

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

2 years

Council of Government:

Catawba

County History

York County and its county seat were named for York County, Pennsylvania. The county was first established in 1785 as part of Camden District. From 1791 to 1800 it was part of Pinckney District, and it became a separate district when Pinckney was dissolved in 1800. Part of the county went to form Cherokee County in 1897. When European settlers arrived, this part of the state was inhabited by the Catawba Indians. The Catawbas signed a treaty with the English in 1763, relinquishing their rights to much of their land. This treaty opened up the area to Scotch-Irish settlers moving down from Pennsylvania and up from the lowcountry. The Catawba Nation is now the only federally-recognized Indian tribe in the state. Two battles were fought in this area during the Revolutionary War, Williamson's Plantation (July 12, 1780) and Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780); the latter battle was a major victory for the Americans. Small-scale cotton farming was prevalent in the county in the nineteenth century, but textile mills became important in the twentieth century, contributing to the growth of the county's largest city, Rock Hill.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

106,720

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

57,894

Population 1990:

131,497

Numeric Change 2000-2007:

44,213

Population 2000:

164,614

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

2.71%

Population Estimate 2006:

198,432

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2007:

3.84%

Population Estimate 2007:

208,827

Percent Change 2006-2007:

4.98%

Persons Per Square Mile 2007:

306.2

Economic Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Jobs 1980:

41,675

Personal Income (PI) 2006:

$6,281,780

Jobs 1990:

53,360

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

9.3%

Jobs 2000:

67,589

Per Capita Personal Income 2006:

$31,657

Jobs 2005:

74,344

% of U.S. PCPI 2006:

86%

Jobs 2006:

78,228

Average Wage Per Job 2006:

$34,455

Numeric Change Jobs 2005-2006:

3,884

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

82%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:

3.11%

Unemployment Rate 2007:

5.6%

Avg. Annual Growth Rate 2000-2006:

0.96%

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

5.5%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2005:

$908,153,742

Per Capita Assessed Property 2005:

$5,517

County Base Millage Rate 2007:

0.066

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2007:

$896,000

Local Option Sales Tax:

Millage Cap FY09:

8.1%

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

1.0%

Net Taxable Sales FY06:

$1,929,482,925

School District Sales Tax:

Admissions Tax Collected FY06:

$1,605,429

Transportation Sales Tax:

Accommodations Tax Collected FY06:

$539,738

Financial & Employment Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Total Revenues FY06:

$116,004,618

Per Capita Revenues:

$705

Total Expenditures FY06:

$112,716,104

Per Capita Expenditures:

$685

General Fund Budget FY08:

$84,783,216

Per Capita General Fund Budget:

$515

Total Debt Outstanding FY07:

$45,920,908

Per Capita Debt Outstanding:

$234

Payroll FY 2008:

$35,187,131

Credit Rating(s) FY07

Full-Time Employees FY08:

812

Moody's:

Aa3

Part-Time Employees FY08

Standard & Poor:

A+

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

4.93

Fitch:

AA-