2/2/2010

Date Formed:

1769

Land Area (square miles):

919

County Seat:

Charleston

Other Cities and Towns:

Awendaw, Folly Beach, Hollywood, Isle of Palms, Kiawah Island, Lincolnville, McClellanville, Meggett, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Ravenel, Seabrook Island, Sullivan's Island, Summerville

Form of Government:

Council-Administrator

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

4 years

Council of Government:

Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester

County History

Charleston County and the city of Charleston are the most historic locations in the state. English settlers arrived in the colony of Carolina in 1670 and established a town at Albemarle Point on the west bank of the Ashley River. The settlement, named Charles Town in honor of King Charles II of England, was subsequently moved a few miles away to a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers. Charles Towne (renamed Charleston in 1783) was the political, social, and economic center of the state throughout the colonial and antebellum periods, and it served as the capital until 1790. Charleston District was formed in 1769, but portions were later split off to form Colleton (1800) and Berkeley (1882) counties. During the Revolutionary War the American forces defeated the attacking British fleet at Charleston in June 1776. At another Charleston fort, Fort Sumter, federal troops were fired on by Confederate forces in April 1861, signaling the start of the Civil War. Charleston County has had many famous residents, including three signers of the United States Constitution: Charles Pinckney (1757-1824), Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825), and John Rutledge (1739-1800).

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

276,974

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

32,995

Population 1990:

295,039

Numeric Change 2000-2008:

38,077

Population 2000:

309,969

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

0.59%

Population Estimate 2007:

343,522

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:

1.54%

Population Estimate 2008:

348,046

Percent Change 2006-2008:

1.30%

Persons Per Square Mile 2008:

378.7

Economic Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Jobs 1980:

155,599

Personal Income (PI) 2007:

$13,295,048

Jobs 1990:

206,648

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007:

7.8%

Jobs 2000:

215,368

Per Capita Personal Income 2007:

$38,702

Jobs 2006:

235,982

% of U.S. PCPI 2007:

100%

Jobs 2007:

244,415

Average Wage Per Job 2007:

$38,270

Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007:

8,433

% of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:

87%

Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000

1.92%

Unemployment Rate 2007:

5.3%

Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007

1.93%

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

4.3%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2007:

$2,655,343,903

Per Capita Assessed Property 2007:

$8,566

County Base Millage Rate 2009:

0.0544

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2009:

$2,702,398

Local Option Sales Tax:

1.0%

Millage Cap FY10:

5.2%

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

Net Taxable Sales FY07:

$6,481,986,892

School District Sales Tax:

Admissions Tax Collected FY07:

$4,487,509

Transportation Sales Tax:

0.5%

Accommodations Tax Collected FY07

$8,991,222

Financial & Employment Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Total Revenues FY08:

$366,439,542

Per Capita Revenues FY08:

$1,182

Total Expenditures FY08:

$388,419,367

Per Capita Expenditures FY08:

$1,253

General Fund Budget FY10:

$167,500,000

Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10:

$540

Total Debt Outstanding FY08:

$162,297,917

Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08:

$484

Payroll FY 2008:

$64,035,628

Credit Rating(s) FY08

Full-Time Employees FY10:

2,278

Moody's:

Aa1

Part-Time Employees FY10:

133

Standard & Poor:

AAA

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

7.35

Fitch:

updated

2/2/2010