| DORCHESTER COUNTY |
5/14/12 |
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| Date Formed: |
1897 |
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| Land Area (square miles): |
575 |
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| County Seat: |
St. George |
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| Other Cities and Towns: |
Harleyville,
North Charleston, Reevesville, Ridgeville, Summerville |
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| Form of Government: |
Council-Administrator |
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| Council Members: |
7 |
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| Method of Election |
Single Member |
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| Term Length |
4 years |
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| Council of
Government: |
Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester |
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| County History |
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| Dorchester County was named for Dorchester, Massachusetts. In
1696, Congregationalists from that town moved south and established a new
settlement called Dorchester. Although the town of Dorchester had been
abandoned by 1788, the parish in which it was located continued to be
referred to as St. George Dorchester. This name was subsequently adopted for
the county when it was formed from parts of Colleton and Berkeley counties in
1897. The town of Summerville was settled in the late eighteenth century as a
summer resort for planters who wished to escape the malaria prevalent on
their rice plantations; the town later became a winter resort also. Middleton
Place Gardens, the remains of an old rice plantation, are the oldest
landscaped gardens in the country, having been laid out in 1741. Middleton
Place was the home of Henry Middleton (1717-1784), president of the
Continental Congress, his son Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), a signer of the
Declaration of Independence, and his grandson Henry Middleton (1770-1846),
South Carolina Governor, United States Congressman, and Ambassador to Russia. |
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| Population Trends |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Census Population 1990 |
83,060 |
16 |
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Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 |
53,495 |
9 |
| Census Population 2000 |
96,413 |
15 |
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Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 |
3,280 |
8 |
| Census Population 2010 |
136,555 |
13 |
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Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 |
2.3% |
2 |
| Population Estimate 2010 |
137,612 |
12 |
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Persons Per Square Mile |
237.5 |
10 |
| Population Estimate 2011 |
140,892 |
12 |
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| Economic Data |
Value |
Rank |
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Value |
Rank |
| Jobs 2010 |
31,220 |
16 |
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Personal Income 2010, in thousands |
$4,340,997 |
13 |
| Jobs 2009 |
31,457 |
16 |
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Per Capita Personal Income
2010 |
$31,545 |
15 |
| Jobs 2008 |
31,220 |
16 |
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% of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 |
79% |
15 |
| Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs
1990-2010 |
1.9% |
7 |
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Average Wage Per Job 2010 |
$33,121 |
31 |
| Percent Change Jobs
2009-2010 |
-0.8% |
19 |
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% of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 |
70% |
31 |
| Numeric Change Jobs
2009-2010 |
-237 |
25 |
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Unemployment Rate 2011 |
8.1% |
44 |
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| Tax Data |
Value |
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Value |
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| Assessed Property 2010 |
$495,860,614 |
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Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 |
$3,631 |
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| County Base Millage Rate
2011 |
0.0769 |
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Additional Sales Tax, if applicable |
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| Value of One Mil 2011 |
$480,142 |
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Local Option Sales Tax |
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| Net Taxable Sales FY10 |
$575,355,859 |
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Capital Projects Sales Tax |
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| Admissions Tax Collected
FY10 |
$278,577 |
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School District Sales Tax |
1.0% |
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| Accommodations Tax
Collected FY10 |
$106,099 |
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Transportation Sales Tax |
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| County Finance &
Employment Data |
Value |
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| Total Revenues FY10 |
$66,217,928 |
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Value |
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| Total Expenditures FY10 |
$65,617,086 |
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Per Capita Revenues FY10 |
$485 |
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| General Fund Budget FY12 |
$41,595,808 |
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Per Capita Expenditures FY10 |
$481 |
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| Total Debt Outstanding
FY11 |
$145,250,839 |
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Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 |
$305 |
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| Payroll FY12 |
$27,216,754 |
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Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 |
$1,105 |
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| Full-Time Employees FY12 |
761 |
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Credit Rating(s) FY11 |
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| Part-Time Employees FY12 |
1077 |
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Moody's: |
Aa2 |
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| Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty
Residents |
5.57 |
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Standard & Poor: |
AA- |
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Fitch: |
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