CHESTERFIELD COUNTY 5/14/12
Date Formed:  1785 Chesterfield,Chesterfield,Chesterfield,Chesterfield
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: 9
Method of Election Single Member
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Pee Dee
County History
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
Census Population 1990 38,577 25 Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 8,157 24
Census Population 2000 42,768 25 Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 -110 27
Census Population 2010 46,734 25 Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 -0.2% 27
Population Estimate 2010 46,667 25 Persons Per Square Mile 58.5 29
Population Estimate 2011 46,557 25
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 2010 13,767 26 Personal Income 2010, in thousands $1,120,124 25
Jobs 2009 13,856 26 Per Capita Personal Income  2010 $24,002 44
Jobs 2008 13,767 26 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 60% 44
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1990-2010 -0.8% 37 Average Wage Per Job 2010 $32,603 33
Percent Change Jobs 2009-2010 -0.6% 16 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 69% 33
Numeric Change Jobs 2009-2010 -89 18 Unemployment Rate 2011 13.6% 14
Tax Data Value Value
Assessed Property 2010 $111,293,321 Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 $2,381
County Base Millage Rate 2011 0.09577 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2011 $90,000 Local Option Sales Tax 1.0%
Net Taxable Sales FY10 $184,609,991 Capital Projects Sales Tax  
Admissions Tax Collected FY10 $20,245 School District Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY10 $44,613 Transportation Sales Tax  
County Finance & Employment Data Value
Total Revenues FY10 $14,703,051 Value
Total Expenditures FY10 $17,704,948 Per Capita Revenues FY10 $315
General Fund Budget FY12 $13,520,322 Per Capita Expenditures FY10 $379
Total Debt Outstanding FY11 $2,304,791 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 $289
Payroll FY12 $5,692,069 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 $53
Full-Time Employees FY12 210 Credit Rating(s) FY11
Part-Time Employees FY12 40 Moody's:  
Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 4.49 Standard & Poor:  
Fitch: