CLARENDON COUNTY 5/14/12
Date Formed:  1785 Clarendon,Clarendon,Clarendon,Clarendon
Land Area (square miles): 607
County Seat: Manning
Other Cities and Towns: Paxville, Summerton, Turbeville
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 5
Method of Election Single Member/ Chair at Large
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Santee Lynches
County History
Clarendon County was named for Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon (1608/9-1674), one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. The county was first established in 1785; in 1800 it became part of Sumter District but then was split from Sumter in 1857. Several Revolutionary War skirmishes took place in this area; at Fort Watson in 1781 British soldiers were driven from a large Indian mound that had been fortified. During the Civil War Union troops under General Edward Potter moved through the area, burning several plantations. In the 1950s Clarendon County schools were sued over the issue of racial segregation. The case, Briggs v. Elliott, was one of several cases that eventually led the U.S. Supreme Court to abolish segregation in 1954. Clarendon County can claim five South Carolina Governors, all related: James Burchell Richardson (1770-1836), Richard Irvine Manning (1789-1836), John Peter Richardson (1801-1864), John Laurence Manning (1816-1889), and John Peter Richardson (1831-1899). Children's author Peggy Parish (1927-1988) and tennis player Althea Gibson are also Clarendon natives.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Census Population 1990 28,450 34 Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 6,521 27
Census Population 2000 32,502 31 Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 -212 34
Census Population 2010 34,971 28 Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 -0.6% 32
Population Estimate 2010 34,938 28 Persons Per Square Mile 57.6 30
Population Estimate 2011 34,726 28
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 2010 7,832 32 Personal Income 2010, in thousands $855,489 32
Jobs 2009 8,148 33 Per Capita Personal Income  2010 $24,486 43
Jobs 2008 7,832 32 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 61% 43
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1990-2010 -0.4% 29 Average Wage Per Job 2010 $29,191 44
Percent Change Jobs 2009-2010 -3.9% 39 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 62% 44
Numeric Change Jobs 2009-2010 -316 29 Unemployment Rate 2011 15.2% 9
Tax Data Value Value
Assessed Property 2010 $93,214,190 Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 $2,665
County Base Millage Rate 2011 0.1435 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2011 $95,605 Local Option Sales Tax 1.0%
Net Taxable Sales FY10 $138,788,881 Capital Projects Sales Tax  
Admissions Tax Collected FY10 $53,238 School District Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY10 $117,661 Transportation Sales Tax  
County Finance & Employment Data Value
Total Revenues FY10 $25,403,377 Value
Total Expenditures FY10 $26,779,497 Per Capita Revenues FY10 $726
General Fund Budget FY12 $18,538,993 Per Capita Expenditures FY10 $766
Total Debt Outstanding FY11 $13,498,764 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 $530
Payroll FY12 $6,817,884 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 $399
Full-Time Employees FY12 258 Credit Rating(s) FY11
Part-Time Employees FY12 34 Moody's:  
Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 7.38 Standard & Poor: A+
Fitch: