CHESTERFIELD COUNTY 2/2/2010
Date Formed:  1785
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
Population 1980:  38,161 26 Numeric Change 1980-2000:  4,607 30
Population 1990:  38,577 25 Numeric Change 2000-2008: 114 27
Population 2000:  42,768 25 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:  0.60% 35
Population Estimate 2007:  42,770 25 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:  0.03% 27
Population Estimate 2008: 42,882 25 Percent Change 2006-2008: 0.26% 28
Persons Per Square Mile 2008:  53.7 32
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980:  12,922 26 Personal Income (PI) 2007: $1,049,269 25
Jobs 1990:  16,231 25 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007: 7.0% 31
Jobs 2000:  17,485 25 Per Capita Personal Income  2007: $24,533 33
Jobs 2006: 15,073 25 % of U.S. PCPI 2007: 64% 32
Jobs 2007: 15,480 25 Average Wage Per Job 2007: $29,729 31
Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007: 407 18 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:  68% 31
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000:  1.77% 19 Unemployment Rate 2007: 9.2% 18
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007: -1.64% 37 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  8.3% 15
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2007: $107,803,009 29 Per Capita Assessed Property 2007: $2,521 33
County Base Millage Rate 2009: 0.088 25 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable) 
Value of One Mil 2009: $107,000 28 Local Option Sales Tax: 1.0%
Millage Cap FY10: 4.1% 28 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Net Taxable Sales FY07: $199,876,387 28 School District Sales Tax: 1.0%
Admissions Tax Collected FY07: $27,616 29 Transportation Sales Tax:  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY07:  $49,425 29
Financial & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY08: $16,039,933 37 Per Capita Revenues FY08: $375 46
Total Expenditures FY08: $16,868,210 35 Per Capita Expenditures FY08: $394 42
General Fund Budget FY10:  $16,394,432 32 Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10: $383 30
Total Debt Outstanding FY08: $3,285,274 36 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08: *** *
Payroll FY 2008: $6,090,414 32 Credit Rating(s) FY08
Full-Time Employees FY10:  216 32 Moody's:  
Part-Time Employees FY10: 61 24 Standard & Poor:  
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   5.05 41 Fitch:  
updated  2/2/2010