ANDERSON COUNTY 2/2/2010
Date Formed:  1826
Land Area (square miles): 718
County Seat: Anderson
Other Cities and Towns:
Belton, Clemson, Honea Path, Iva, Pelzer, Pendleton, Starr, West Pelzer, Williamston
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member
Term Length 2 years
Council of Government:  Appalachian
County History
Anderson County and its county seat were named for Revolutionary War general Robert Anderson (1741-1812). This region was occupied by the Cherokee Indians until 1777, when it was ceded by treaty to the state. Part of the "Indian Land" became Pendleton District (also called Washington District at one time). The area was given its present name in 1826, when Pendleton District was split into Anderson and Pickens. Most of the early settlers of this area were Scotch-Irish farmers who moved south from Pennsylvania and Virginia in the eighteenth century. The oldest town in the county is Pendleton, which was founded around 1790; it became a popular summer resort for lowcountry planters in the nineteenth century. Some famous residents of Anderson County were U.S. Senator and South Carolina Governor Olin D. Johnston (1896-1965), business leader Charles E. Daniel (1895-1964), and composer Lily Strickland (1884-1958).
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980:  133,235 6 Numeric Change 1980-2000:  32,505 12
Population 1990:  145,196 6 Numeric Change 2000-2008: 17,085 11
Population 2000:  165,740 7 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:  1.21% 20
Population Estimate 2007:  179,964 8 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:  1.29% 13
Population Estimate 2008: 182,825 8 Percent Change 2006-2008: 1.56% 12
Persons Per Square Mile 2008:  254.6 8
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980:  51,991 5 Personal Income (PI) 2007: $5,234,017 9
Jobs 1990:  58,653 9 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007: 7.7% 17
Jobs 2000:  69,913 8 Per Capita Personal Income  2007: $29,084 14
Jobs 2006: 65,346 10 % of U.S. PCPI 2007: 75% 13
Jobs 2007: 66,293 10 Average Wage Per Job 2007: $30,882 27
Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007: 947 12 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:  70% 27
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000:  1.72% 20 Unemployment Rate 2007: 6.9% 32
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007: -0.74% 28 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  6.8% 20
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2007: $581,298,108 10 Per Capita Assessed Property 2007: $3,507 24
County Base Millage Rate 2009: 0.0839 26 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable) 
Value of One Mil 2009: $597,299 9 Local Option Sales Tax:  
Millage Cap FY10: 5.4% 12 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Net Taxable Sales FY07: $1,681,513,205 10 School District Sales Tax:  
Admissions Tax Collected FY07: $453,408 11 Transportation Sales Tax:  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY07:  $403,751 13
Financial & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY08: $93,136,103 9 Per Capita Revenues FY08: $562 33
Total Expenditures FY08: $103,141,746 10 Per Capita Expenditures FY08: $622 24
General Fund Budget FY10:  $61,775,670 9 Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10: $373 32
Total Debt Outstanding FY08: $56,609,418 8 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08: $314 8
Payroll FY 2008: $34,013,235 9 Credit Rating(s) FY08
Full-Time Employees FY10:  876 10 Moody's: Aa3
Part-Time Employees FY10: 123 10 Standard & Poor: AA
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   5.29 37 Fitch:  
updated  2/2/2010