FAIRFIELD COUNTY 2/2/2010
Date Formed:  1785
Land Area (square miles): 687
County Seat: Winnsboro
Other Cities and Towns:
Ridgeway
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Central Midlands
County History
The origin of the name Fairfield is not known, but local legend attributes it to a remark by Lord Cornwallis about the "fair fields" of the area. The county was formed in 1785 as a part of Camden District. The town of Winnsboro, which was settled around 1755, is the county seat. Fairfield County lies between the upcountry and the lowcountry areas of the state, and it was settled both by Scotch-Irish immigrants from colonies to the north and by English and French Huguenot planters from the lowcountry. In the colonial period this area was a center for the Regulator movement, which sought to bring law and order to the backcountry. During the Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters in Winnsboro from October 1780 to January 1781; the county was also invaded by General Sherman's troops during the Civil War. Cotton production was the major economic activity of the area, but the county also produced Winnsboro Blue Granite. Some prominent residents of the county were Regulator leader Thomas Woodward (d. 1779), Revolutionary War soldier Richard Winn (1750-1818), and artist Laura Glenn Douglas (1886-1962).
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980:  20,700 36 Numeric Change 1980-2000:  2,754 37
Population 1990:  22,295 36 Numeric Change 2000-2008: -19 29
Population 2000:  23,454 38 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:  0.66% 33
Population Estimate 2007:  23,284 37 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:  -0.01% 30
Population Estimate 2008: 23,435 37 Percent Change 2006-2008: 0.64% 22
Persons Per Square Mile 2008:  34.1 43
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980:  7,329 36 Personal Income (PI) 2007: $598,972 36
Jobs 1990:  8,222 35 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007: 7.3% 27
Jobs 2000:  8,277 37 Per Capita Personal Income  2007: $25,725 30
Jobs 2006: 6,875 38 % of U.S. PCPI 2007: 67% 30
Jobs 2007: 6,779 38 Average Wage Per Job 2007: $36,985 9
Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007: -96 30 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:  84% 9
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000:  0.65% 35 Unemployment Rate 2007: 10.8% 10
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007: -2.59% 41 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  8.5% 11
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2007: $119,905,255 28 Per Capita Assessed Property 2007: $5,112 9
County Base Millage Rate 2009: 0.1759 4 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable) 
Value of One Mil 2009: $112,291 27 Local Option Sales Tax: 1.0%
Millage Cap FY10: 4.5% 22 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Net Taxable Sales FY07: $96,042,621 38 School District Sales Tax:  
Admissions Tax Collected FY07: $14,684 35 Transportation Sales Tax:  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY07:  $30,904 33
Financial & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY08: $27,300,363 25 Per Capita Revenues FY08: $1,164 4
Total Expenditures FY08: $23,780,771 28 Per Capita Expenditures FY08: $1,014 7
General Fund Budget FY10:  $19,292,792 26 Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10: $823 3
Total Debt Outstanding FY08: $3,355,000 35 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08: $137 22
Payroll FY 2008: $12,590,129 22 Credit Rating(s) FY08
Full-Time Employees FY10:  265 28 Moody's: Baa1
Part-Time Employees FY10: 35 33 Standard & Poor: A-
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   11.30 2 Fitch:  
updated  2/2/2010